Human Contact
by yooso
Summary: The ability to touch others is something humans take for granted. But what if you couldn't anymore? Based on Empathy by The Halfa Wannabe.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello every one. My name is Yooso and though I am definitely not new to the fanfiction scene this is my first Naruto fanfic. I hope you all enjoy reading this piece as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Feed back is always appreciated but not needed, the only thing they will really do is speed up my updates. **

**I admit I got this idea from another fanfic that to my knowledge was never completed. I read it along time ago and can't remember it very well so I can only hope that my fic is different enough not to anger anyone. I apologize greatly if my story offends anyone and I wish I could remember the name of the author so that I could give them the credit they deserve.**

Human Contact

Uzumaki Naruto. It was a name that carried much weight in the village hidden in the leaves, Konoha. It was not respected, but feared, spoken as if it belonged to some particularly evil person or vile disease. An outsider would have been shocked to see that the owner of said name was merely a child.

He was small for his age with sunshine blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. A huge smile was always seen plastered across his whisker marked face as he paraded through town on his way to the ninja academy. At first glance he seemed like a simple happy go lucky child, not a care in the world. But if someone actually stopped to pay attention they would see that this particular child had lived through pure hell.

On the day of Naruto's birth the Kyuubi no Kitsune had been "killed" by the Yondaime Hokage. In actuality it had been sealed into the stomach of the helpless new born. His second day of life had brought the first attempt on his life. The Sandaime had been very hard pressed to keep him alive in those first few weeks, which caused him to create the law that no one was allowed to speak of the demon fox being sealed inside the infant on pain of death.

When it had finally been deemed safe enough to place him in an orphanage, he was treated with the love and care one might give a cock roach. Given little more than table scraps to eat and beaten daily. He found respite from the constant agony only when he was allowed to curl up in his corner of the dark basement under a moth eaten blanket to sleep.

Despite the Sandaime's law that the children not be told of his condition Naruto had no friends. The other orphans saw the way he was treated and immediately knew that there was something wrong with the blond. Even if the caretakers had allowed him near enough to the other children to play it only would have resulted in them all running away screaming.

On his third birthday Naruto received an additional present to the exceptionally harsh beating that always came on October 10th. He was kicked out of the orphanage. It was a miracle that he managed to survive the year he spent on the streets of Konoha. In that year he scrounged through garbage cans for food and learned to sleep in any form of shelter he could find. He also learned to avoid people as much as possible, for every time he ran into someone he would get beaten in some way. The worst by far was the young ninja who decided to try out his new katon jutsu on him. The third degree burns that covered his body went untouched by the medics at the hospital, just like every other affliction that affected him. Were it not for unspeakably fast healing he would have either died or been covered in horrible scars.

It was safe to say that he owed his survival that year to three things. First and fore most to the stubbornness of the demon residing in his stomach. Second to the fact that temperatures in fire country almost never got down to freezing. And last but not least to the intervention of the Sandaime when he had been chased down by an extremely violent mob on the day of his fourth birthday. Yet another wonderful birthday present.

After a few days in the hospital, where the doctors and nurses where literally forced to care for him. Naruto had found himself in the Hokage's office where the old man had been astonished by the four year old boy's incredibly colorful language, no doubt learned from his attackers, and his malnourished form. That was the first day Naruto would ever be able to remember someone being kind to him, and it threw the young boy for a loop.

After that day Naruto was given his own apartment and living allowance. That was also the day that the attacks severely decreased. Naruto was now only beaten a few times a month whether people saw him or not. Although the cold stares of the villagers remained fixed on the boy wherever he went, the lack of open hostility was a welcome change. This miracle was of course thanks to the Anbu the newly dubbed ojii san had assigned to guard him.

During this time Naruto learned how to read and, despite the librarian's objections, spent hours in the public library learning as much as he could. This was also the time that he developed his mask. The large grin and goofy attitude that made so many think he was carefree was perfect for hiding the pain he felt, not only from others but from himself. It was the first defense mechanism he ever came up with. Smile and no one will know.

When he was six, although still very young, Naruto was allowed to join the ninja academy. At first he had been hopeful that this would allow him to make friends. But it was not to be, all the children had been warned by their parents to stay away from "that Uzumaki kid". This of course did not make him look on the village any better. Which caused him to come up with defense mechanism number two. When the villagers get you down don't get mad, get even, with a good prank revenge can be a humorous thing.

As if being shunned by his class mates wasn't bad enough, Naruto quickly discovered that the teachers were trying to make him fail. They all seemed to be much harder on him during practical lessons than the other students. They would also erase some of his answers on tests so that they could give him lower marks. Thus the birth of, defense mechanism number three. Trying to excel in class is pointless, act stupid and people will leave you in relative peace.

These three principles were rules that Uzumaki Naruto lived by. He became so good at his act that the real him practically disappeared, until his tenth birthday, when it all came crashing down on him, with the birth of defense mechanism four.

Naruto had learned by then that the best thing to do on October 10th was to hide away in his apartment. He sat in his small bedroom listening to the festival going on outside. The festival celebrating Kyuubi's demise that he would never be able to attend. On that particular night the Anbu that was assigned to guard him had been rather careless in his duties. Choosing to instead partake in some sake and, after getting rather tipsy, enjoy the fireworks display.

No one noticed the man who snuck into the jinchuriki's apartment. Nor would anyone have cared if they had seen. Naruto was completely shocked when he felt the kunai tear into his flesh. Once again he was thrown into a world of pain and torment as the man called for the death of the demon. Anyone who did hear the screams of agony coming from the apartment complex didn't care, for they knew who lived there.

It was when the man was holding the barely living boy against the wall by his throat, and plunging a kunai deep into his stomach, that the Kyuubi decided to give the boy a most terrible gift. Defense mechanism four, touch me and feel my pain.

The next morning, when an Anbu came to start his shift, it was to find Naruto curled up in a corner covered in dried blood. His attacker lay on the floor staring up at the ceiling with glassy eyes muttering incoherently.

The dog masked Anbu had never seen anything like the man on the floor. It was as if he had been placed in some terrible and powerful genjutsu. But there was no way the child cowering in the corner could be capable of such a feet. He stepped towards the young boy. "Naruto, what happened here?"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

The Anbu was shocked by the normally cheerful boy's outburst. He reached out towards him. "Give me your hand and I'll take you to see the Hokage."

The boy shrank even further into the corner. "Stay back!"

"Naruto, I'm not going to hurt you."

"I don't want to hurt you too!"

**Well that's it for chapter one. I don't usually like to post as I go, but I really wanted some feedback. I'm quite proud of my story so far. This style is new for me and I'm not sure if I like it yet. I think it adds a bit more maturity to my work. Please give me some feed back. I love to hear what you think and really appreciate critiques as I don't have a beta. I read through this chapter three times but I probably missed something.**

**Anyways as always R and R.**

**Ja ne. **

**Yooso**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm so happy. So far my story has been very well received. I've gotten 8 reviews already and all of them were really nice. Several people were even able to tell me what story I got the idea from. So now I give a large amount of credit to Halfa Wannabe, author of "Empathy".**

**To answer some of your questions, no he's not going to be attacked by villagers anymore, I agree that would be stupid (likes a good story). Even mice learn to avoid things that cause them pain, but now he has to deal with the emotional torment of people being even more afraid of him.**

**I've also been asked about pairings several times, so to ease your minds, yes this will be NaruSaku. Not so much because I like Sakura but I feel that Naruto should get something he wants after all he's been through. I can assure you that she will be less annoying in my fic. Sorry to all you NaruSakuIno fans out there but threesomes kinda freak me out and I would feel awkward writing one.**

**Any ways time to wrap up my ramblings, you're probably bored now. The only thing Naruto related I own is my Gaara plushy, and you can't have him. Now on with the fic!**

Human Contact

The old Hokage sat at his desk wearily. Never before had he seen anything like it. Naruto's attacker seemed to have had a mental over load. It had taken Yamanaka Inoichi's special talents to bring the man out of his semi comatose state, and even then he was a complete mess.

He didn't even have to send the man to Ibiki to find out what had happened. As soon as he had seen Naruto he fell to the floor in a quivering heap admitting to everything he had done. The Sandaime could hardly blame him for his fear of the child this time.

The Anbu, code name inu, came into the office that morning with the man slung over his shoulder, young Naruto trailing behind him. It had taken Inu several minutes of promising not to touch the boy under any circumstances to get him to leave the tiny apartment. Even then Naruto had insisted on completely covering himself with a blanket.

"Hokage sama, I found this man in Naruto's apartment this morning. Apparently he attacked the child, but I have no idea what's wrong with him now. I don't know how badly Naruto is hurt either, he won't let me near him." With that Inu dropped the man onto the floor.

The Sandaime looked into the man's eyes. He tried several things but did not get a reaction, finally he had sent for Inoichi as it was obviously a mental problem of some sort. Then he turned his attention to the ten year old boy. "All right Naruto let's see how bad it is this time."

Naruto timidly let the blanket fall revealing the dried blood that covered him. The Sandaime reached out for the boy who quickly flinched away, but not fast enough. The old man's fingers brushed against his skin. In that instant the Hokage's mind flashed with horrible images of torture and sadness so strong he seemed to be feeling them himself. As soon as his fingers left the boy the images faded, but still he had been hit hard.

He knew that Naruto had lived a hard life, but he never could have imagined exactly how horrible it really was. He had seen but a glimpse of what this child had been put through and the only thing that kept him from crying out had been the years of shinobi experience. A normal person would have been brought to their knees by the pure agony of it and he had a strong suspicion that was what happened to the man on the floor of his office.

Inoichi later confirmed Sarutobi's hunch. It was amazing what the boy had lived through, and yet he never hated the villagers. He never stopped fighting, never stopped believing that one day things would change. He bore the pain of his life with a grin, displaying a will of fire like none he had ever seen before, and he was only ten years old. Doubtless he would become the greatest of Hokages one day.

Sarutobi sighed in exhaustion; he had been sitting at his desk trying to figure out this puzzle for hours. It appeared that the Kyuubi had some how managed to turn the boy's pain into a powerful weapon. The problem was the child could not turn it off. Unless he found a way to control this curse he would never be able to touch any one again.

A sigh escaped from his mouth. No child deserved the fate of the jinchuurichi and now this new development on top of that had left Naruto scared and confused. As much as he hated the idea of Naruto learning of the Kyuubi, the boy needed answers.

The door creaked open revealing Inu, behind him trailed Naruto. Again the old man sighed, gone was the brightly colored jump suit that screamed for attention. He was now dressed in all black, completely covered from head to toe. Bright yellow hair hidden by a dark hood, fingers encased in leather gloves, sandals replaced by thick boots. The whisker marks on his cheeks were now covered by a cloth face mask. Even the sparkling blue eyes had been shadowed by dark sunglasses.

The door closed behind them with a loud thud. With one last sigh the Hokage lifted his hands and placed a sealing jutsu on the room, preventing any sound from escaping. "Inu please remove your mask." The man did as he was told, revealing a handsome face before quickly covering it with a cloth face mask like the one he had given the boy.

"Naruto, I would like you to meet Hatake Kakashi. He will be your care taker from now on. In lieu of your current condition, I feel it wise that you be taken out of the academy. You will continue your training with Kakashi and you will return for the graduation exam when you are thirteen. If you pass, your genin squad will be placed under him. Kakashi and I will both do our best to help you through this ordeal, and perhaps some day we will find a way to reverse it."

The boy nodded in understanding and looked up at the man beside him. Kakashi glanced down at him and gave him a smile, made evident by the way his one visible eye crinkled up. Naruto had never met this strange man with the gravity defying silver hair, but he was the fourth person to ever smile at him in such a way. The first three being the old man, the owner of his favorite ramen stand and his sensei Iruka. This, along with the fact that the man was almost as covered up as he was, gave him some much needed reassurance.

"Now, onto the most probable reason for your situation." The Hokage took a deep breath, he never thought he would have to explain this to a ten year old child. "Understand Naruto that this information is an S class secret and it in no way changes who you are."

Naruto nodded his head nervously.

"Ten years ago on the night of your birth, as you well know, this village was attacked by the Kyuubi no Yoko. What you don't know is that the Yondaime was unable to kill the monster. The only thing he could do to protect the village from total annihilation was to seal the demon away.

"Unfortunately the only thing strong enough to contain the beast was a human whose chakra coils had yet to develop. So he did the only thing he could do, he sealed the Kyuubi inside a new born baby who's umbilical cord had just been cut."

At that moment Naruto's whole world felt like it was going to shatter. That was the reason why the village hated him so much. That was why he was ignored and abused. He was a monster.

Tears threatened to fall from his face when he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Kakashi looking down at him, his expression soft. "I know what you're thinking Naruto, and you are not the Kyuubi. You are his container, the only thing that protects this village from the demon's wrath. When my sensei sealed the demon inside you, he hoped you would be seen as the hero you really are. The villagers just fear what they don't understand."

It was nice to receive comfort from someone, and the tears in his eyes spilled down his cheeks in gratitude.

"Kakashi is exactly right Naruto. You are just as human as I am which is why I instated a law that no one was to speak of the burden you carry. I had hoped this would give you a chance to make friends, but it appears to have not worked.

"I'm telling you this now because I believe it was the Kyuubi who has caused this strange power. You of all people have a right to know why this is happening to you."

**Wee! That's it chapter 2 is all done. I already have chapter 3 written so it will be out soon after that I will probably take a lot longer, depending on how quickly inspiration hits. **

**Any ways thanks again to suzako, likes a good story, bamboopanda (Your name makes me smile), shagnasty214 (heehee Austin Powers fan?), anon, asdf, Gnosismaster, and Maker of Arrows. You guys rock my socks. Keep reading!**

**Ja ne**

**Yooso**


	3. Chapter 3

**STOP! IMPORTANT MESSAGE! **

**I accidentally put this chapter up in place of the second chapter yesterday. I was able to fix it pretty early but please make sure that you have read the real chapter two. I'll get chapter 4 up as soon as possible. So sorry for the mix up.**

**I don't own Naruto. cries profusely while hugging Gaara plushy**

Human Contact

Three years passed quickly and, as it was fated to happen every year, the dreaded day of October 10th arrived. The day found a thirteen year old Naruto lying in his room starring up at the glass ceiling, naked as the day he was born. The glass had been imperative to the room as it provided him with the sunlight he could not get while outside. The nudity was a personal preference of Naruto, being forced to wear so many cloths whenever outside.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in." Kakashi entered the bright room unperturbed by his student's lack of modesty. He understood that the clothes Naruto wore had become a prison for the boy, a constant reminder of what he may never be able to experience. He was actually rather glad for the habit because it, along with the glass ceiling in his room, had allowed him to achieve a healthy sun kissed complexion rather than a sickly pale pallor.

"Are you sure you're ready to return to the academy tomorrow? We can probably hold it off for another month at least, maybe two." Naruto had become like a son to the Anbu gone Jonin. It was only natural that he was nervous for the boys return to normal life.

"I'm going to have to go back eventually Kashi, may as well be sooner rather than later. Besides two of the people from my class are going to be on my team so I had better get used to being around them. It will be less awkward when you have to train all three of us together."

A sigh escaped Kakashi's lungs. "I suppose you're right. It's going to be weird when it's not just the two of us anymore." He grinned, this one actually visible as he had stopped wearing the mask when they were alone. Much like Naruto had stopped wearing clothes. After a few awkward weeks the two recluses had learned to inhabit the same space peacefully. After a few months they had formed a familial bond. By the time the first year had passed they had gotten to a point of comfort were nothing seemed awkward anymore. They had been undeniably good for each other.

"Iruka's coming over after classes are over so at least make sure you put on some shorts by then. I'm going to go and pick up some ramen from Ichiraku for dinner. You should at least get to eat your favorite food on your birthday."

"Thanks Kashi."

Kakashi left Naruto to his in door sun bathing. Naruto smiled as he looked up at the clear blue sky. Kakashi never made a big deal out of his birthday. The only special treatment he got was being allowed to stay home rather than go out to continue his training. Naruto had never asked for this, he never had to, he and Kakashi understood each other perfectly. It would never be a happy day for him, filled with too many painful memories. October 10th was a cursed day.

The day Kakashi was officially assigned as his care taker he had insisted on touching him. Naruto had protested profusely of course but the older man grabbed his arm, ripped of his glove and forcibly held onto his hand. He refused to let go until all the horrible events that Naruto had lived through had finished washing over him. He felt every hit, heard every insult and experienced every minute of sadness.

He could have let go at any time, but he didn't. He went through it all without fear and when he was done he did something no one had ever done before. He hugged him. He later told him about all the traumatic experiences he had been through in his lifetime.

That day they found out the only currently known way to negate the power given him by the Kyuubi. In order to touch him without suffering the effects was to experience all the horrors he had been through in his life without breaking down, and accepting it.

To this day, the only one to achieve such a feet had been Kakashi, which was why they felt so comfortable around each other. There was no longer anything for either of them to hide. They both knew exactly why the other was the way they were. After getting used to the other's presence they had both learned to drop their masks, both physical and emotional, while alone together.

The next day came all too quickly for both of them. As the academy came into view for Naruto he couldn't help but feel nervous. Yesterday seemed ages ago, sitting in his kitchen with Kakashi and Iruka eating ramen and talking about nothing. Despite the copious amount of clothing he was wearing he couldn't help but shiver as he watched the other kids talking without a care in the world.

Kakashi had been following him by rooftop on the way, but he could not follow him into the classroom. That was all up to Naruto. "You okay kid?"

The voice came from behind him where he knew Kakashi was standing, pretending to read his perverted book.

"Yeah, just nervous I guess. I haven't had to interact with so many people in three years. Those kids used to hate me as much as their parents, and now I have to face them again knowing that I can make them suffer with a single touch. I mean what if I can't control myself?"

"You being able to control yourself is one thing I'm not worried about. You would never put someone through that torment without a viable reason and even then you would think twice about it. That's just the kind of person you are." Naruto couldn't help but smile at Kakashi's comment.

"Now, you see that kid in the blue?" He received a nod from the thirteen year old. "His name is Uchiha Sasuke, and out of your class he is the only one who will definitely end up on your team."

"How do you know that?"

"The council will see to it, just like the Hokage is doing to you. He has the potential to wield the Sharingan and as such they are going to want me to train him. I don't want you to pay attention to him exclusively, but try to get to know him a bit. It may make things easier in the long run."

"I can do that."

"Good. Now don't worry too much. I made sure that you were put in Iruka's class again so that you would at least be around one friendly face. I also put some cup ramen in your lunch but please eat the apple I packed too."

The boy couldn't help but smirk at the older ninja, even though the man couldn't see it. "Yes mommy."

Kakashi didn't bother to mask the laugh that escaped him. Everyone in the village knew he tended to giggle while reading his smut. "Shut up and get to class gaki or you'll be late. I'll be here when class lets out."

"All right I'll see you later Kashi." As the kid began to jog towards the door he heard a soft "good luck Naru" from his guardian. Then the man vanished.

The people who managed to get close to Naruto in his short life time where few and far between. As such each one was precious to him. Kakashi was like the father he never had, Teuchi and Ayame were uncle and cousin, the Hokage took the place of grandfather. Iruka was like a caring older brother. He was always there with advice and support and always with a kind smile on his face.

He had never felt as awkward as when he walked into the classroom full of thirteen year olds. His little chat with Kakashi had in fact made him late. "Ah, nice of you to join us." He turned to see Iruka's smiling face and was immediately calmed. "Class I would like you to meet our new student Uzumaki Naruto. He will be joining us for the remainder of the year. I want all of you to treat him with kindness and respect.

A blond girl raised her hand and waved it through the air impatiently. "Iruka sensei where has Naruto been the past three years and why is he wearing more clothes than Shino?"

"Naruto has been in the hospital with a rare skin infection. They were able to cure him but his skin is now very sensitive to light."

Again the blonde's hand went into the air. "No Ino, what he has is not contagious."

"How did you know I was going to ask that sensei?"

"If I was your age and was told that one of my classmates had contracted a horrible skin disease I would want to know if it was contagious too. Now I want you all to treat Naruto like you would treat any other student, he is no different from any of you. Naruto you may sit next to Nara Shikamaru. Shikamaru please raise your hand."

No one moved. Naruto's immediate thought was that it was a malicious joke. He wasn't really surprised, children had a tendency to be far crueler than they realized. "Nara wake up you lazy bum!"

A boy in the middle of the room with his brown hair in a messy pony tail that resembled a pineapple lifted his head from his desk. His eyes were visibly droopy with sleep and he yawned boredly. The first emotion Naruto felt was relief, he was not being mocked. The next thing to sink in was the sheer hilarity of the situation.

Everyone in the class, who had all turned to see Shikamaru get yelled at for sleeping once again, were startled by the sound of laughter. True many of them would snicker when one of their own got in trouble, but to outright laugh was simply unheard of. Once again their eyes were drawn to the strangely dressed kid at the front of the room.

He was hunched over clutching his sides as he laughed. The sound was bright and natural, it seemed very strange coming from the black clad boy. Slowly it died down and he was able to straighten up. He lifted his glasses and wiped the tears from his eyes briefly revealing the bluest eyes anyone in the class had ever seen. They were covered again so quickly most were uncertain if they had seen them at all.

He quietly walked up to the pineapple haired boy and took his seat. The boy simply glanced at him. For a moment it seemed as if he was going to question him on his choice of wardrobe. Then Shikamaru shrugged and put his head back down on the desk Naruto heard him mumble "too troublesome" before he drifted off to sleep.

Naruto had never been so grateful for laziness in his life. For now he was off the hook. He didn't want to go through the awkward lie the Hokage had come up with. He would be lucky if he didn't become a pariah in this class just as he had the last. Fortunately the attention of the room was already leaving him, apparently this group of kids was far more used to the abnormal than his last class had been.

He began to relax as Iruka slipped into a dull lecture about something he had already been taught. As he droned on all the students were either pulled into a near unconscious daze, or were paying careful attention, or so he thought.

A lone girl with pink hair was paying very rapt attention to him. This occurrence was unusual in many ways. For one she was considered a very attentive student, her exemplary marks stood as a testament to that, and two she never spared her attention on any boy other than the brooding hunk Uchiha Sasuke.

Her name was Sakura and other than the vibrantly pink color of her hair there was nothing remarkable about her. She was not considered beautiful, graceful, or exceptional. All those titles were held by her best friend turned rival Ino, and despite her constant screams that Ino would never get Sasuke, there was secretly no doubt in her mind that the platinum blond would win. She was after all a very plane girl.

Her brains were the only thing she had going for her and she worked hard hoping that, if she were smart enough, Sasuke would look her way. As such she always paid attention in class and studied more than any of her piers. So why was she jeopardizing her perfect grade point average on this weirdo in black?

He was completely covered from head to toe so she couldn't be staring because he was cute. Sure the outfit was weird but Shino wore almost as much clothing and sent off a far more powerful 'I'm creepy' vibe. Sure he was mysterious but so was Sasuke, and he was far more pleasing to the eye than this Naruto person.

She supposed that she could pin her interest down to two things. First was his laugh, it had been warm and joyous, as if nothing could bring him down. It seemed so natural, and yet she got the feeling that he didn't have much occasion to really use it. Second had been his eyes. She had only seen them for a second he had replaced his glasses so quickly, but she was sure she had seen them. They were the most beautiful pure blue she had ever seen. It was a crime that such eyes belonged to a boy and an even bigger crime that he covered them up.

She stared at him intently through the whole lecture and was quite perturbed that she had missed the entire lesson. Praying it had just been a review on past material she pulled out her bento box. As she ate her home made meal her eyes once again traveled to the weird new kid.

"So, you giving up on Sasuke and going for the new kid forehead?"

Sakura's eye twitched with irritation. "I don't know what you're talking about Ino pig."

The blond snorted in a very unladylike way, not realizing that the sound only reinforced the insult. "The idea of you being with a god like Sasuke is laughable, but Mr. Skin Disease over there seems right up your alley."

Sakura noticed the boy tense, the ramen laden chopsticks in his hand freezing halfway to his mouth. "Shut up Ino, I think he can hear us."

"What, you don't want me to broadcast your new crush?"

Sakura had never felt so irritated with her one time best friend. Was the blond really that shallow? "First of all Ino pig, I do not have a crush on Naruto. Second don't talk about his condition like that. It's not his fault he got sick, and we should not hold that against him."

Ino gave a huff at being called insensitive. "I don't see you running up to be his friend forehead."

The scrape of the chair as Sakura stood was deafening. She gave Ino a defiant glare and marched down the steps toward Naruto's row.

Naruto was shocked when the pretty pink haired girl had stopped in front of him. He knew that she was one of the girls that had been talking about him, but he never imagined either would approach him. She smiled brightly her green eyes twinkling as she stuck out her hand. "Hi, my name is Haruno Sakura. Welcome to our class."

Naruto hesitantly reached out and took her hand shaking it lightly. He couldn't help but smile at the look of relief on her face. "Thank you Sakura-chan, you have no idea how much you doing that means to me."

**Good God that was long. This chapter took me several days to complete. So the odds of me writing something this long again are pretty rare. Though not impossible. I hope you enjoyed this one; chapter 4 should be up sometime in the next two days. **

**As usual thank you to all my lovely reviewers. Rickp2006, Radon199, Boejangles (like the restoraunt), shagnasty214, Meca Vegeta, suzako, mingling, love a good story, and Gnosismaster.**

**Thank you all and keep up the reviews. I love reading them.**

**Ja ne**

**Yooso**


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow I got a good response to my work yet again. I love getting complements, they make me feel all warm and fuzzy. Anyway you probably don't feel like reading my pointless chatter so lets go ahead and get to chapter four. Which ended up being longer than anticipated.**

**I own nothing! chases lawyers out of house with broom**

Human Contact

The months before the genin exam went by quickly. Things at school were surprisingly good. Sure he still got picked on and avoided by most of the class but he did have a few friends. These included Nara Shikamaru, Akamichi Chouji, and Inuzuka Kiba, none of whom cared what people said about him.

He spent his days with them cloud gazing, eating snacks and playing pranks, three of his favorite things. He was glad that the active hostility towards him had stopped three years ago when the Hokage had broadcasted who his new guardian was. Explaining why he couldn't go into certain stores or why random civilians attacked him would have been troublesome, as Shikamaru would say.

He had a passing friendship with Uchiha Sasuke. He was arrogant and rather depressing for Naruto's tastes but that was to be expected, and he was fun to tease. Sasuke in turn hung around him for two reasons. One there was no air of pity or admiration surrounding the boy whenever he came into view. And two, most of his fan girls were so freaked out by Naruto's alleged skin disease that they would leave him alone when they hung out.

Sakura held a special place in his heart. She had been the first person in the class to approach him, the first brave enough to shake his hand. Out of all the girls in their class Sakura was one of the only ones willing to come within ten feet of him. Ino being another one, not because she wanted to, but because she refused to be out done, and that was where she usually found Sasuke. The other girl who didn't seem scared of him was Hinata who had plucked up the courage to introduce herself after a week.

He liked Hinata a lot. She was kind and polite and became like a sister to him. He had a sneaking suspicion that Kiba had a little thing for her as he would perk up when ever she was around. Unfortunately his attempts to show of for her usually ended up with him or someone else in the hospital.

Iruka found himself with another headache in Naruto. The blond fit in perfectly with the other dilenquents of his class. He had become his worst nightmare as a student. He snuck food, slept and skipped class; he was his three least favorite students rolled into one. Despite the irritation he felt at the kid's behavior he couldn't help but admire his ability to roll with everything life threw at him.

Naruto sat in the almost empty room awaiting his turn for the genin exam. It was just him and Ino now, as they were going in alphabetical order. The silence was killing him.

"So… how do you think Sasuke's doing in there?"

Ino seemed startled at the sound of his voice but she quickly recomposed herself. "My Sasuke-kun is doing great. There is no doubt in my mind that he will pass this exam with top marks."

"Ok. Are you nervous?"

"Of course not, this test will be easy for someone as talented as me."

"Yeah, I'm nervous too."

Ino would have protested but at that moment Mizuki came in to call Naruto into the exam room. As the boy left she couldn't hide her anxiety anymore. "Good luck Naruto!"

He turned around and smiled at her. As always she couldn't see it through his mask but everyone could tell when he smiled. He just sent off this warm, reassuring feeling. "Same to you Ino."

With that he walked through the door and left Ino all by herself.

Naruto had never really cared for Mizuki. Despite his smiles and kind attitude there was always a layer of contempt hidden under the surface, and it doubled around Naruto. Mizuki was a fraud, at least the other villagers and ninja showed their hatred of him outright.

He entered the exam room to see Iruka. "Ok Naruto, I need you to create three functional bunshin."

Naruto suddenly felt very nervous. "Umm… Iruka-sensie I can't do a regular bunshin."

Iruka was disappointed, Kakashi should have made sure he new this one. It was an important skill for a young Shinobi. "And why can't you do it?"

"Well you see, apparently my chakra is too concentrated to be formed into something as delicate as a bunshin. But I was taught a variation in case this happened!"

Iruka nodded, Kakashi had probably taught him one of the clone jutsu he copied. "Very well, as long as they are functional you will pass."

Naruto nodded happily. He concentrated his chakra and placed his fingers into a T shaped seal. "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu"** There were three puffs of smoke and when they cleared four corporeal Narutos stood undoubtedly smirking at the shocked look on their sensei's face. "Kakashi says that as I get better with my control there will be less smoke."

Iruka was speechless, not only because of what Naruto had done but because Kakashi had the gall to teach a thirteen year old a forbidden technique. He was so shocked that he missed the look of rage on Mizuki's face, but Naruto didn't.

"Congratulations Naruto, you pass with flying colors. And if you hadn't chosen to slack off all year you probably could have been first in your class."

"Thanks Iruka!" Naruto took his head band and tied it onto his right arm. "Now you better let Ino in here before she has a nervous breakdown."

With that he left the room so Ino could have her turn, thoughts of Mizuki with that look on his face in his head. As he came outside he was greeted by the sight of his friends all with head bands being congratulated by their families. Rather than break up the happy moment he went over to his favorite swing and sat down to watch, forever the observer. He watched Ino run out of the school straight into the waiting arms of her father, her hitae-ate wrapped around her waist.

"It's nice to watch families isn't it?"

Naruto looked up to find Kakashi perched in the branch over his head. "Yeah, but also a little depressing since I'll never know my real one."

"Mm. You have to admit though, that as far as fake families go ours is a pretty good one."

Naruto smiled. "Yeah, it is."

"I got you a present for passing the genin exam." A small plain box was dropped into his lap. "I hope you like them. They should come in handy in the future."

Naruto opened the box to reveal a new pair of black leather gloves. These ones with metal plates on the backs like Kakashi's. It was a simple gift, but Naruto new that to Kakashi being allowed to wear armor of any kind was like a right of passage into the Shinobi world. He removed his old gloves and replaced them with his new ones. One was emblazoned with the leaf symbol of his village, the other with the spiral that signified his name.

"Their great Kashi, perfect fit."

"I'm glad you like them. How bout we get out of here and go to Ichiraku. All that family mushiness is starting to get to me."

Naruto stood up from his swing and stretched. "I agree. But before we go can you do me a favor?"

"I suppose, depending what it is."

"Can you summon Pakkun and have him follow Mizuki? Something about him just sets me on edge."

Kakashi had learned long ago that Naruto's instincts about people were rarely wrong. Being forced to see people at their worst for most of his life had made him a great judge of character. "All right, I guess I can do that. But if nothing happens then I get to be two hours late tomorrow."

"You're going to end up doing that anyway."

"Ah but this way you can't yell at me because it will be your fault."

"You manipulative bastard. Fine but if I'm right you show up only a half hour late, no exceptions."

"Deal." They shook on it.

Mizuki stood before the giant scroll. He couldn't help but snicker at his own brilliance. After all it took an especially talented ninja to sneak into the Hokage Tower without a hitch. All he had to do now was grab the scroll and get out.

His fingers brushed against the scroll. "How nice to see you here Mizuki, but might I ask what you are doing with the forbidden scroll?"

Mizuki jumped about a mile into the air. He turned around only to be greeted by the Hokage and Kakashi. "Perhaps you would like to discuss this little incident in my office?"

Kakashi grabbed the traitor roughly by the collar and dragged him out behind the old man. When they walked into the office they were greeted by Naruto and Ibiki. "I told you he was up to something."

Kakashi sighed as he forced the chunin down into a seat. "Yeah you did, and as I promised I'll only be a half hour late tomorrow."

Naruto couldn't help but laugh at his very disgruntled guardian. "Hey be grateful that I'm not making you show up on time. Besides you should know better than to bet against me in anything, you always lose."

"That's just because you have the devil's luck."

"Enough, after all we do have a traitor in our midst. So Mizuki, are you going to tell me why you decided to steal the forbidden scroll, or am I going to have to hand you over to Ibiki?"

The ex teacher scoffed. "You'll have to do your worst because I'll never talk. Who would ever want to be apart of a village that houses a demon!"

Ibiki let a sadistic grin creep across his face. "Oh you shouldn't have said that. We have a special punishment for traitors like you. Naruto if you would please."

The boy nodded, Kakashi and Ibiki held the confused chunin down as the new leather gloves slowly came off. Naruto hesitantly stepped forward, he didn't like the idea of purposefully doing this to someone, but it had been decided when Pakkun told them of Mizuki's plans that this would be the best course of action.

Shutting his eyes he steeled himself for the screaming to come and placed his bare hands on the man's exposed forearm. The traitor's eyes widened in shock as all the horrible images flashed before them. The images so powerful he could actually feel the pain. Soon he couldn't hold it back any longer. He screamed, the sound so loud that it echoed throughout the room and traveled out the window to cover the whole village.

Naruto jerked his hands away. He couldn't take the sound of someone going through his pain any longer. Ibiki smiled. "Thank you Naruto. His tongue should be very loose now. You would have a real future in the interrogation department."

The boy was shaking slightly. "Thank you Ibiki-san but I don't think I have the stomach for what you do."

The large man shrugged. "Very few people do kid, and I think that speaks well of them."

"Thank you for your assistance Naruto. Both you and Kakashi will be receiving A-rank pay for this." The Hokage gestured for Ibiki to leave with the prisoner. "I will inform you both of the situation after the team assignments tomorrow. And by the way, congratulations on passing the exam Naruto."

Naruto watched as Mizuki was dragged bodily out of the room for questioning. He could tell by how ghostly pale his skin was that, had he held on a minute longer, Mizuki would have ended up like the first man he did that to. He shivered and replaced his gloves then followed Kakashi out of the office for some well deserved rest. After all he had a big day tomorrow.

**Okay that's it. I wanted to show how truly merciful Naruto is in this chapter. Being unable to torture someone who hates you for something you can't control when you have been through what he has says a lot about his character. After all to blame is human, to forgive is godly and that is where Naruto's true power stems from, his near endless compassion.**

**I also wanted to show that the possibilities of his condition in interrogation have not been over looked. After all he is in a village full of ninja, someone would have immediately realized that particular use.**

**As you may have noticed, my work is mainly character driven. In my opinion my fighting scenes are some what lacking but I assure there will be fighting later on and it will be done to the greatest of my ability. I'm currently in the process of looking up moves and jutsu, but I would love for some help in that department. I would also like to ask for suggestions on the name of Naruto's ability as that is another literary weakness of mine. I would like it to be in Japanese if possible so please give me suggestions in your reviews.**

**Speaking of reviews it is time for my shout outs. Thank you ever so much to:**

**Suzako, Gnosismaster, ADD Kyubi Naruto (hey I have ADD, and he's not quite emo), demons and angels, likes a good story (always love hearing from you), Grand Admiral Gin, RockX2, Boejangles, deathweasel666 (Itachi!).**

**And last but certainly not least bamboopanda. Thank you so much that was quite possibly the greatest compliment I could ever receive as a writer.**

**The next chapter will take some time but I promise to get it up as soon as possible.**

**Ja ne**

**Yooso**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello I'm back so sorry for the wait. First off this chapter was difficult for me to write. Second I noticed that fanfiction seemed to be having some technical issues so I refrained from posting. Anyways I finally got it finished and I'll try to get chapter six out soon.**

**PS. I still don't own Naruto.**

Human Contact

The next day found Naruto at the academy for one last time. He was early; the events of the previous night had made him restless. He couldn't help but give the room a once over before going up to his seat. He had wanted to come to the academy for years and got accepted at six. He was the youngest kid to get in that year, most not allowed to apply until eight; the Hokage had found it best that he learn to defend himself.

He was coming up on the graduation exam when he was attacked. The day he was forced to leave the academy nearly broke his heart. As if being attacked and doomed to a life without the ability to touch others wasn't enough, his dream of proving himself to the village would be postponed by three years. True his odds of passing that year had been slim, he had difficulty with chakra control and his grades were not very high. Still he might have been able to pull it off before thirteen.

Naruto sighed and walked up to a seat in the middle of the room. He was only alone for a few minutes; Shino walked in and took his place in the back of the class. Sasuke was next to arrive, the boy was perpetually early, and he took his usual place beside Naruto. After that all his fan girls came pouring in.

As the noise level in the room rose Naruto allowed himself to drift off to sleep. He was so exhausted by the previous night's events that he didn't even wake up for the usual scuffle between Sakura and Ino for the seat beside Sasuke. It was the persistent poking to his side that finally roused him. He woke with a start back handing the offending poker in the face.

"Ow! Damn it Naruto why'd you have to hit my nose?" Kiba sat there rubbing his now bruised nose.

Naruto couldn't help but laugh at the look on his friends face. "Sorry Kiba, I didn't sleep well last night and you kinda startled me."

"Yeah yeah, that's what I get for trying to do something nice. I was just trying to wake you up, now my nose might be broken. If this damages my sense of smell in any way you will pay."

"Oh calm down dog breath, if it was broken you would be bleeding right now. Why did you wake me up anyways?"

The boy rubbed at his eyes to stop the tearing and looked at his fellow prankster in irritation. "I was trying to let you know that you slept through the team assignments. We have an hour for lunch then we meet our jounin senseis."

"What I slept through the whole thing! What team am I on?"

"Relax dobe your on team seven with me and Sakura."

Naruto turned to look at the usually silent Uchiha. "Really? Well other than being stuck with your emo ass that's not half bad. At least I'm not with any of the people who are scared of me."

The Uchiha seemed rather irritated giving him the appearance of a ruffled cockatoo, what with his hair style. "How many times do I have to tell you I am not emo?"

"So Kiba, who are you teamed up with?"

Kiba forgot about his smarting nose and laughed at Sasuke's expense. The Uchiha was not used to being ignored, and Naruto was the only one with the gall to do it. "I'm on team eight with Shino and Hinata."

"Congratulations. Maybe if you're around her more you'll stop making such a fool of yourself when ever she comes within eye shot."

"I do not make a fool of myself!"

"Yes you do." The dog on Kiba's head barked and wagged his tail. "See, even Akamaru agrees with me."

Kiba slumped into his chair drumming his fingers. He grumbled something that sounded suspiciously like traitor. As Kiba continued to sulk Naruto took in the rest of the people in the room. Sasuke still seemed irritated with being ignored and had decided to deal with it by brooding as usual. This of course caused lots of girls to stare at him with stars in their eyes like always. His two most avid fan girls however where occupied in another heated argument. Apparently Ino was very upset with being stuck with Chouji and Shikamaru. She was also jealous of Sakura for scoring a team with Sasuke on it.

Everything was perfect. He was on a team with two people that weren't afraid of him. Both also had the potential to become really good friends. If Sakura grew out of her fan girldom and Sasuke got over his avenger complex they could probably be a really good team. As it was they would probably be able to work together pretty well, which he knew would be pivotal for Kakashi.

Team seven had seen all the other teams walk out with their sensies. Sasuke was continuing to brood while Sakura got more and more irritable as she watched the seconds tick by on the clock. Naruto just continued the nap that Kiba had chosen to interrupt, he new how long it would take Kakashi to get there.

The door slid open and the silver haired jounin stuck his head into the room, his one visible eye wandering to his three students lazily. "You're late!" The pink haired kunoichi screamed. Ah the dulcet tones of a banshee. Was Naruto really friends with this girl? Speaking of which there was his little gaki sleeping peacefully, not a care in the world. He showed up only a half hour late for this?

"My first impression of you three is that I hate you. Now one of you wake him up and meet me on the roof."

Sakura was shocked "He shows up a half hour late and has the gall to say he hates us?"

Naruto woke up from his nap and looked at the clock. "Half hour late, has he gotten here yet?"

"Yes and he's waiting for us up on the roof."

The boy stretched and let out a yawn. "What's the problem with you two? He could have been much later."

"He was a half hour late dobe, this is supposed to be the guy who is going to teach us and he can't even show up on time."

"He also says he hates us. How are we supposed to work with him?"

Naruto got up and walked towards the door. "As far as I'm concerned those are his problems, not mine. Besides you'd be surprised how quickly you get used to hate. Now I suggest we go and meet this guy on the roof before he decides to leave."

They arrived on the roof to find Kakashi reading an orange book. "About time you kids got here, was shorty over there really sleeping that hard?"

"Hey I'm not that short scarecrow, you're just tall!"

He was elbowed in the side by Sakura. "Naruto, he's already decided that he doesn't like us, don't make things worse." Sasuke just rolled his eyes.

"Okay, so why don't we all just introduce ourselves so that I can go home and continue my reading. State your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies and dreams."

Sakura cleared her throat as she sat down. "We already know each other from classes, so why don't you start sensei?"

The book was closed with a snap and he placed it in the kunai pouch at his hip. "I suppose that makes sense. My name is Hatake Kakashi, I like a lot, dislike less, my hobbies…you're not old enough, and my dreams are none of your business. You next Pinky."

Sakura was fuming, he hadn't told them anything at all, fortunately Naruto had decided to laugh as if the lack of information was hilarious. She punished him by smacking him upside the head. "My name is Haruno Sakura; my likes are reading and a certain person." She glanced over at Sasuke and blushed. "My dislikes are Ino-pig and people that make fun of others for no reason. My hobbies are reading, hanging out with friends, and…" Again she glanced at Sasuke and blushed. "My dreams for the future…" She blushed even harder this time then shook her head as if to clear it. "I want to be the best kunoichi in Konoha."

Kakashi sighed he had expected a little bit more from her from how highly Naruto regarded her. 'Well at least she isn't just a crazy fan girl.' "All right let's go emo kid, you next."

Sasuke bristled. "I am not emo!"

Kakashi put his hands up in a placating gesture while Naruto rolled on the ground in mirth. Even Sakura giggled lightly at Sasuke's uncharacteristic outburst. "Alright you're not emo; you're just a very sensitive young man in need of love and support."

Sasuke looked about ready to kill the giggling man before him, but he took a deep breath in an attempt to recompose himself. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke, I don't particularly like anything, I dislike my fan girls, I want to kill my brother and no I don't want to talk about it." The two other males present blinked at the rather short and disturbing introduction while Sakura sulked at his hatred of fan girls.

Kakashi clapped his hands together breaking the silence. "Okay, I take it you've had therapy?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Maybe you should go back. Now it's your turn short stuff."

Naruto scowled. "I told you I'm not short! I'm only thirteen you jerk; I haven't hit my growth spurt yet."

Kakashi's visible eye twitched. "Will you just do the introduction?"

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, I like ramen, training, pulling pranks and my friends. I hate people that blame others for things that aren't their fault. My hobbies are training and finding new ways to prank people. My dream is to become Hokage so that I can make sure that everyone in this village is safe and happy."

Kakashi nodded. "Alright that's all for today. Meet me tomorrow at eight AM training ground thirteen, for the real gennin exams, and before you ask the test yesterday was just to see if you had the potential for becoming a gennin. Oh and don't eat breakfast unless you like throwing up." With that he used the shunshin jutsu and left in a swirl of smoke and leaves.

Naruto stretched and let out a yawn. "Well I guess I'll see you two tomorrow."

Sasuke stood up to follow his friend. "Yeah I'm going home to practice my accuracy for the test."

Sakura brightened at that. "Can I come and practice with you Sasuke. I could use some help with my shurikan throwing."

Sasuke didn't even look back at her. "I train alone."

He was about to walk away when Naruto reached out and grabbed his shoulder. "Why don't we all work on our accuracy together. After all we have to get used to training with each other. Who knows maybe getting used to working as a team will come in handy for tomorrow's test."

Sasuke shrugged. "Whatever dobe, it couldn't hurt." He continued towards the stairs.

Naruto smiled back at Sakura and held out his hand to help her stand up. "Come on, if we don't hurry he might decide that we are just dead weight."

"You know you didn't have to do that. I'm used to being rejected by him."

She could feel the warmth and happiness that radiated from him ever time he smiled, and could almost see the blue eyes she could never get out of her head sparkling behind his sunglasses. "I know, but this way works out the best for all three of us."

He received a smile in return for his kindness and understanding and they followed after their teammate.

"So, where have you been all afternoon?" He had made it back to the house around dusk to find Kakashi sitting at the table reading his porn. Dinner was already laid out but unfortunately there was no ramen in site. Kakashi had made teriyaki chicken, and as weird as it was, his meals were always good.

He sat down and helped himself to chicken and mixed vegetables. "I was out practicing accuracy with Sakura and Sasuke."

"Oh good, that means if I pass you three tomorrow I won't have to pound teamwork into your heads."

"Well you won't have to do it to Sakura and me, but Sasuke could use a little pounding." Naruto shoveled some food into his mouth. "This is good for not being ramen by the way."

"I'm glad you approve of my non ramen meal. So why do you think Sakura will be easier to work with? She seemed like one of those pain in the ass fan girls to me."

"There's more to Sakura than first meets the eye. She may be obsessed with Sasuke but she worked really hard in order to graduate. Even if she did it for the wrong reasons, it still proves that she is capable of doing it. Besides she was the first person to approach me during school."

"What about Shikamaru, he was actually the first person to talk to you."

"Yeah but he slept through Iruka's explanation about my skin disease. Sakura heard the whole thing."

"And then introduced herself to show up her friend Ino."

"You didn't hear the conversation. Sakura defended me when Ino started making fun of me. Just trust me when I say there is a lot more to Sakura than what first meets the eye. I think she'll surprise you."

Kakashi was very attempted to bet on it, but his last loss was still too fresh on his mind. He had to learn to stop betting against Naruto, his character judgments were fantastic and he was the best card shark Kakashi had ever seen.

While the jounin was lost in la la land Naruto had finished his meal. "So, you want to tell me what tomorrow's test is?"

Kakashi smirked. "I don't think so kid. You have to figure it out just like everyone else. Just for asking that question not only do you have to do the dishes, but I want one hundred kicks and punches with right and left."

"Oh come on! That's a Maito Gai training technique, aka complete insanity."

"I don't know, it seems to work wonders for his student Rock Lee. Now get to it! You're going to want at least a few hours of sleep before my test."

He couldn't help but chuckle as he watched his student clear the table and prepare for his training disguised torture session. 'That's what the gaki gets for making me show up so early today.'

**Yeah it's done. I hope you all like this chapter. Next time it's the bell test and then the mission to wave, after that it's the beloved chuunin exams so we're moving right along. I'm afraid I won't be able to update as quickly from now on as I am returning to school next Wednesday. Tough luck for me and you.**

**As usual thank you to all my lovely reviewers. Thanks to Teamkyubi13, (A pale Naruto just seemed wrong to me.) suzako, (he's a little dark, I just don't do emo Naruto.) someguy, Tombadgerlock, (I don't think Ino realizes how hurtful her words can be, that's all.) Thundereaper, Zenithar, (I'm glad you like my story despite the pairing, that says a lot.) bamboopanda, (always love hearing from you, and thanks for the name idea.) Rinn Brandt, (thanks for your name idea too, and the site.) Boejangles, (so far I like your name the best) rickp2006, Hindugoddess, (he's the same Naruto I'm just concentrating on a different part of his personality, so yes you will see doofus Naruto shining through.) Requateer, (I'm glad you like my work.) JadedDiamond, (You make me smile.) RockX2, (I'll be sure to check it out as soon as I get the chance.) narutofanx100, Mod Soul 792, Grand Admiral Gin, (I'm glad that you're thinking into the future. I'd love to hear what you think should happen every now and then.) Anonymous, (This is the kind of comment that makes me accept unsigned reviews.) Likes a good story, (Thanks for the advice.) MoTD, (I'm glad I proved you wrong.) and last but not least Gnosismaster. (Can you explain to me what a shadow contract is?)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Yea I'm back with another fabulous chapter if I do say so my self. I moved into my dorm this morning so I'm very lucky I found the time to proof read this chapter and post.**

**I keep getting the comment that Sasuke is lighter than usual even if he is still emo. This is because he is already friends with Naruto and everyone knows how good he is at changing people, though Sasuke will always be a bit emo. For all you dark Sasuke fan girls and guys out there, just be glad I haven't made him gay like I did in another fic I plan on posting sometime. It's meant to be a funny version of the Uber Kyuubi Naruto.**

**For all you lawyers out there I still don't own Naruto. turns back and pouts. For all you readers out there here is my next chapter! claps hands like little girl.**

Human Contact

Naruto woke up at seven thirty the next morning sore as hell. He had to drag himself out of bed then force his body into the stretches he did every morning. It took ten minutes for the stretching to take affect. Slipping on a pair of boxers he walked into the kitchen to see Kakashi sipping from a cup of coffee.

He grabbed an apple and took a bite out of it. "Morning Kashi."

Kakashi downed the rest of his liquid caffeine. "Did you forget what I said about eating breakfast yesterday?"

The blond looked him right in the eye as he took another bite. "Nope. I just choose not to listen. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and I don't trust you, especially when it comes to one of your tests."

Kakashi shrugged. "Suit yourself. It's almost eight, I'm headed off to the monument so I should see you again in about two maybe three hours." With that he left in puff of smoke and leaves.

Naruto's eye twitched in annoyance as he took another bite of his apple. "I have got to learn how to do that." He went into his room to start the arduous task of getting dressed.

He arrived at training ground thirteen to see his teammates already there. Not surprising considering he was a half hour late.

He immediately found his head being used as a punching bag by his pink haired friend. "Where the hell have you been? If our sensei had shown up before you then you would have been in so much trouble!"

Naruto stood up rubbing his head. "I was training last night and didn't wake up until a half hour ago. It takes a while to put on all these clothes and I had to eat breakfast."

Sasuke scowled. "Kakashi sensei told us not to eat breakfast."

Naruto watched Sakura nod vigorously at her crush's statement making him sigh. "I had a feeling you two would fall for that, which is why I brought fruit with me. It's not a good idea to skip breakfast; an empty stomach makes you weaker."

The two could not really deny what Naruto said and it was made ten times harder when the fruit was right in front of them. Sasuke was the first one to give in, grabbing a pear from the pile and taking a huge bite. Sakura of course followed suit soon after. When they had polished off the food Naruto couldn't help but smile. "Wow, you two have next to no will power."

Sasuke immediately frowned. "You didn't really eat breakfast did you? I can't believe I fell for all your teamwork crap!"

Naruto immediately started laughing. "Do you immediately turn everything into a shot against you? Do you really think I'm going to trick you two into something that could make us fail this test? We are a three man team, it's best that we work together."

As usual when Naruto teased him Sasuke began looking for another accusation. "Well, you said that you overslept because of training last night. We didn't do enough to make you that tired, especially with all the sleep you got in class. You worked without us and now you're lecturing us on teamwork."

The boy simply could not take a joke. Every little thing was a transgression against him. Naruto sighed in irritation. "For your information I was being punished by my guardian for talking back. I had to do the dishes and then one hundred punches and kicks. Only my friend Lee ever does that willingly."

Sasuke's jaw dropped. "Someone does that by choice?"

Naruto smirked. "No, he usually does a lot more."

Both of his friend's jaws dropped at the insanity of the taijutsu specialist. They spent so much time trying to imagine the shear amount of work Lee put into his training that they didn't even notice Kakashi poof in with a lazy "yo".

He was rather disappointed by the lack of response to his tardiness. "Hey Naruto what's wrong with your friends?"

Naruto smirked. "I just told them about the cruel and unusual punishment that I was put through by a certain someone, who shall remain nameless. That of course led to Lee's training regiment and they've been shocked into silence ever since."

Kakashi nodded in understanding. "Say no more. All right you two that's enough gawking over the workaholic that is Gai's clone. We have a gennin exam to get to."

He was pleased to see that both were looking at him attentively now. "The idea of this test is to get one of these two bells before the timer goes off at noon."

Sakura raised her hand. "But there are three of us sensei."

Kakashi's eye crinkled up in a smile. "Nice of you to notice Sakura. It is inevitable that one of you will fail. Not only will that one be tied to a log and forced to watch the rest of us eat lunch, but he or she will also be sent back to the academy."

He was very pleased with the result of his little speech. Sakura looked frightened, Sasuke had a cold determination in his eyes, and Naruto looked both shocked and confused.

Sasuke was the first to speak up. "So that's why you didn't want us to eat breakfast. So that it would be harder for us to concentrate."

Again Kakashi smiled. "Exactly, it adds a little bit more flare when you are fighting for your stomach as well as your future."

Sakura couldn't help but smile. "So it's a good thing that Naruto didn't listen to you."

Kakashi looked confused. 'Why is she smiling about that, I know Naruto didn't listen to me but surely…' "What do you mean by that?"

Sasuke smirked openly. The beginning of the test and already they had one up on their sensei thanks to the supposed dobe of the class. "She means that when Naruto decided not to listen to you he thought of us too. Had you been on time we wouldn't have had time to eat the fruit he brought us."

Kakashi had never been so irritated with or proud of the blonde. "You little brat! You have just made it onto my list." He only got what he knew was a cheeky grin from the kid. Naruto knew that Kakashi meant it as both a warning and a complement.

"All right you little brats here's the deal. If you want one of these bells you better come at me with everything you've got. You have no chance at getting near me if you don't come at me with the intent to kill. I have absolutely no qualms sending all your little asses back to the academy. After all I've done it many times before."

He felt better now that he had gotten their attention and respect back. Even without lunch at steak they would still fight tooth and nail to stay out of the academy. "Your test begins now!"

With that all three of them leapt off into the surrounding forest to hide. He couldn't help but notice the thoughtful expression on Naruto's face as he ran by. 'Looks like Naruto is going to be the wild card of this group. Sasuke's too arrogant to figure it out and as smart as Sakura is she will be thinking of herself. He has already looked underneath my tricks once today he might be able to see under the rest.' He rummaged in his pouch and pulled out one of his favorite books. "Icha Icha Paradise."

Naruto crouched near the tops of one of the trees. His mind was going hay wire. 'What are you trying to get us to do Kashi? Nothing is ever this simple with you. A gennin could never get close enough to take something from you, yet you're pitting us against each other.'

He smiled in understanding. He had been with Kakashi long enough to understand the strange man's mind. He had also been fighting with him long enough to think of bringing some reassurance with him this morning. 'Kashi, you never should have taught me how to play shoji, it's the only thing I always beat you at.' With that he went off to find Sasuke.

Kakashi could feel Naruto moving towards Sasuke. All three had hidden themselves very well for gennin but none of them knew how to mask their chakra signatures. Naruto's was so large it was like a beacon calling out for attention like the orange jumpsuit he used to wear. 'So he figured it out huh? But he didn't choose to make a kage bunshin and contact both of his teammates at the same time. That one will cost him.'

A very discreet hand sign was made behind his book as he focused on Sakura's location. A genjutsu was cast around the young girl and she was forced to see her crush walking towards her bleeding from various kunai wounds.

While Naruto was desperately trying to convince Sasuke that they all work together they heard a piercing scream. The boys both looked up in surprise Kakashi was still standing in the middle of the clearing. "Who would have thought she would have succumbed to such a weak genjutsu? Oh well only two to go in forty five minutes. Looks like I'm sending three back to the academy again."

Naruto clenched his fist. He had made a mistake; he had been so worried about keeping his intentions hidden that he had not chanced kage bunshin. Of course Kakashi would attack the one opening he left. "Sasuke you think you can distract him long enough for me to help Sakura?"

"Of course I can dobe; I'm not the rookie of the year for nothing. But why should I help you?"

Sometimes Sasuke's arrogance made Naruto want to strangle him. "Look if you don't manage to get a bell on your own I'll get Sakura to help me and give you my bell. Deal?"

Sasuke thought about it a moment. Either way he would win. "Deal."

Naruto nodded. "Good, now get going temme!"

As Sasuke charged in to attack Naruto made a kage bunshin to cover his actions. Hopefully it would keep Kakashi's attention. He wasn't about to make the same mistake twice.

He rushed in the direction he heard the scream from, occasionally glancing at the fight between Sasuke and Kakashi. His teammate was doing surprisingly well his intercepting fist style was indeed strong. There was a flash of pink in the corner of his eye. Sakura was lying on the ground, unconscious. Naruto wasted no time in dispelling the genjutsu and reviving her. 

She shot up like a rocket. "Sasuke-kun!" She seemed confused as she looked at into the sunglass covered eyes of Naruto. "Naruto, Sasuke is hurt we have to help him!"

Naruto patted her on the back in an awkward attempt at claming her. "It's okay Sakura-chan, it was just a genjutsu. See he's fighting Kakashi-sensei right now."

The pink haired girl looked up just in time to see Sasuke blow a huge fire ball at their teacher. She sighed in relief. "Listen Sakura-chan, I need your help with something. When Kakashi defeats Sasuke I need you to sneak behind him and try to take the bells while I distract him. Then give one of them to Sasuke."

Sakura's eyes widened he was letting Sasuke pass with his plan. "What about you?"

Again she was surrounded by that warm feeling that signified one of his smiles. She never understood how he managed to do that. "Don't worry about me. I made a deal with Sasuke so that he would distract Kakashi while I helped you. Everything will work out alright in the end."

Sakura agreed and not a minute too soon because Kakashi had just dragged Sasuke underground so that only his head could be seen. As the jounin admired his handy work his two other students set their plan in action. Naruto jumped out of the bushes and stood before his teacher bold as brass.

"Ah Naruto, nice to see you at last. Did you like my present? Perhaps next time you will remember to take advantage of every skill you have."

"Why did you have to attack Sakura-chan? Wouldn't it have been better to go after me? After all I'm the one who figured out the test."

Kakashi smiled as he pulled out the book he had put away while fighting Sasuke. "Think of it as revenge for ruining the first part of my test."

Naruto smirked. "As usual, you went for the first opening you saw. A big mistake this time around as I'm the one who will defeat you."

Kakashi flipped the page and continued reading. Naruto may be better at strategy games then him but he had no chance in a real situation. "What makes you so sure? You're still working out the bugs in your taijutsu style and your strongest attack has no affect on me. You only have ten minutes left kid. From what I see you are sunk."

"These books of yours really are very interesting Kakashi-sensei. It would be a shame if something happened to one of them."

This comment got Kakashi's attention. He looked up to see one of his precious Icha Icha books in Naruto's hands. "Wow, and this one is a limited edition signed by the author."

Fear danced across the older ninja's visible eye. "Hey! I never said you could use hostages!"

He could practically feel the evil grin on Naruto's face. "You said to come at you with the intent to kill. But why kill when you can negotiate?"

Kakashi began to move towards his crafty little student. "Why you little…"

Naruto opened the book and grabbed one of the pages. "One more step and I'll rip it!"

He immediately froze in place. "You wouldn't dare."

Naruto pulled lightly. "Do you really want to chance that?"

Kakashi was so preoccupied with the plight of his book that he didn't notice Sakura sneaking up behind him until too late. She grabbed the bells just as the timer went off. Kakashi turned to see her handing one of them to Sasuke, whom Naruto's clone had set free.

"I see, so you were never going to ask for the bells. You chose to sacrifice yourself for your teammates. But you do realize you just sent yourself back to the academy."

Naruto walked over to his two friends who were both looking at him with some regret. "I realize that there is no such thing as a two man team, and that I still have your most prized possession in my hand."

Kakashi smiled at them though his hand involuntarily twitched towards the holy grail of books in his student's grip. "Follow me you three."

They arrived in front of the memorial stone. It stood in the clearing large black and filled with the names of fallen heroes. Kakashi placed his hand on the marble slab. "This stone is filled with the names of Konoha's greatest shinobi, all of whom were killed in action. The life of a ninja is short and we must place our lives in the hands of our teammates.

"Naruto was right; there are no two man teams. My test was to see if you could look beyond your own desires and work together. Someday you may be faced with a situation where it's either your life or your teammate's. If and when that day comes you would do well to remember that those who break the rules are trash, but those that abandon their friends are worse than trash."

The three thirteen year olds looked at the stone in awe. So many names marred its glassy surface. A ninja's life was short and it almost always ended here, on this stone. Naruto lifted his head high. "Getting your name on that stone is the only way to go."

Kakashi smiled. "Naruto was the one to figure out the test and get you two to help him. Even if it took a little more persuasion than it should have I am happy to say that because of him you three have become the first team I have ever passed."

All three brightened considerably. Sakura smiled happily. "So Naruto isn't going back to the academy?"

Kakashi smiled down at her, it was nice to see that she really did care about the well being of his charge. "No he isn't. In fact it is easy to say that out of you three he performed the best. Not only did he figure out the test but he found out a non confrontational way to settle the situation."

Sakura beamed at the friend she had thought would be leaving. Sasuke was a bit perturbed that the dobe had managed to do better than him but happy he would be staying none the less. "Speaking of non confrontational, can I have my book back please?"

That effectively broke the moment. Sakura and Sasuke were shocked at how easily their sensei had been brought down. Naruto sighed and handed over the, for lack of a better word, book. "Fine. I don't know how you stomach that garbage."

Kakashi sniffed in indignation as he double checked his precious book for damage. "It's not garbage, it is a literary masterpiece that you are simply too young to appreciate."

Naruto looked at him in irritation. "Keep telling yourself that perv. I'm going home to eat. I shouldn't take my mask off outside."

As the other three watched him go he got an evil idea. He was going to get Naruto back for endangering his porn. "Come on you two let's eat."

As his students were busy eating their bento lunches he wrote out something on two pieces of paper and grinned at his idea. Sure it would mean that he couldn't be late tomorrow but it would be worth it. "Okay you two. Meet me at my place tomorrow at eight A.M. for your first mission as team seven." He handed them each a slip of paper. "Here's my address I'll tell Naruto later, and remember don't be late."

He ran off giggling evilly. Naruto would pay for his trick today. Oh yes he would.

**Hells yes I just wrote fifteen pages worth of fanfic. Little bit of cliff hanger there, I'll let you all try to figure out what is in Kakashi's devious little mind, not that it's difficult.**

**I have always felt that Naruto was smarter than he seems. He just couldn't sit still long enough to concentrate and is oblivious when it comes to girls. He always manages to do the last thing you expect in battle though and I don't think it is because he's that big of an idiot. Also I think Kakashi would drill him on things like strategy. Let the record show that he is not as smart as Shika, that's his thing, he just thinks differently and has experience with how Kakashi's mind works.**

**Once again thank you to all my lovely reviewers. You make me over flow with warm fuzzies. Likes a good story (I thought it would be weird if they knew at first), imsoooobored, JadedDiamond (I'm glad you like it so much), Darkide (I like your saying and good luck with the story, who knows maybe next time I'll be sending you a rave review), RockX2, Marada (I have issues finding good ones too, that's why I'm writing my own), teamkyuubi13 (Thanks, you'll see comedy quite a bit because I like it and being dark and dramatic all the time gets dull. Everyone needs a laugh sometime.), Gnosismaster (I like the idea but I'm afraid it would make him too powerful for me, maybe I'll use it in another fic.), Boejangles (the characters just start out too extreme for me in the anime so I had to tone them down for sanity's sake.), HinduGoddess (I love it when people like my slightly twisted sense of humor.), I Am Rolf (Hi Rolf), Grand Admiral Gin (interesting enough for ya?), rickp2006, KaboomingKitsune-LookWhoBle… (Damn that's a long name!), bamboopanda (I got the cockatoo thing from a picture in a youtube slide show, too tempting not to use right? Hurrah for KibaHina not enough people realize they are meant for each other.), Exodius (You know 74 people have me on their alerts now? I love it!), Tuff Chick (Nice enthusiasm!), and finally jere7782 (You are the first to comment on the combat advantages he has, add into that his affinity for wind and you've got one badass fighting style which will show up soon.)**

**Thank you all again and keep on reviewing I could live on your feed back it makes me so happy. As you have probably noticed I just can't help but comment on them even though it makes my ending notes atrociously long.**

**Ja ne**

**Yooso**


	7. Chapter 7

**I finally finished chapter seven. It's a bit shorter than what I've been writing but it is a nice comic chapter to bring you all into the wave arc. I started classes today so it's a miracle that I had time to finish writing this but I hope to have the next chapter out by the end of the week. No promises though, I'm very busy.**

**I don't own Naruto, but I did get my roommate hooked on it.**

Human Contact

Naruto had woken up the next morning to the sun streaming through the glass ceiling. It was seven thirty again. As he did his stretches he couldn't help but wonder why he always woke up at seven thirty. It was like he had some evil internal clock that had a seven thirty fetish. Kakashi hadn't talked to him at all after the test yesterday, still upset about the endangerment of his most prized possession. Naruto was just glad that he hadn't made him do the Gai inspired work out again.

He pulled on some boxers and walked into the kitchen to find Kakashi nursing his usual cup of coffee. The man looked up and smiled at him. "Good morning Naru. Ready for your first day as a real ninja?" (Youtube reference very much intended.)

Naruto smiled back. "As ready as I'll ever be. It's nice to see you're not holding a grudge for yesterday anymore."

Kakashi returned to his cup. He was indeed in a much better mood than last night. His revenge was close at hand and Naruto had decided to wear his favorite pair of boxers in 'kill me' orange. He had trouble keeping his eye off the clock as eight drew nearer, his prey oblivious as he ate breakfast.

The doorbell rang. Only years of practice kept Kakashi from letting an evil cackle escape as he pulled up his mask. "Iruka said he was going to drop by to see you before classes this morning. Can you go and let him in?"

The young boy downed the rest of his orange juice before getting up with a nod. He walked down the hall running his fingers through his already messy blond tresses. Kakashi waited patiently as he heard the door knob turn.

Naruto stood in the door way wearing nothing but his orange boxers in front of his two teammates. Sasuke looked genuinely confused while Sakura blushed terribly. The door slammed shut in their faces.

Inside they could hear someone shouting out more curse words than either of them ever knew existed while another person giggled uncontrollably. Another door slammed shut inside. The front door opened yet again to reveal a still laughing Kakashi. "Come on in you two. Naruto should be here in a few minutes."

The two sat down at the kitchen table Sasuke still confused and Sakura still embarrassed. Never before had she seen a boy in so little clothing and she couldn't help but let her thoughts freeze on that moment in time. He had been perfect, a child Adonis with messy hair yellow as the sun and eyes bluer than the sky. He had been muscular for his age and though he was short his skin was almost perfect, a nice even tan with not a scar or blemish in sight. The only mars to his complexion were the six whisker like markings on his cheeks and even those seemed adorable.

Sakura was shaken from her memory by the voice of her crush. "Who the hell was the naked guy?"

Kakashi's chuckles came back full force. "That was my house mate. I didn't tell him you were coming this morning so I decided to play a trick on him. He's not much of a people person."

"What idiot answers the door in his underwear?"

"I had told him it was someone he knew. Once you get under all his layers he really knows no shame." Sasuke continued grumbling about the blonde's stupidity.

Sakura was currently comparing her crush to the boy he was berating. Somehow his insults made her angry. She couldn't help but notice that the two boys were complete opposites. Sasuke's hair was dark and sleek and had a certain amount of style where as the mystery boy was blonder than Ino with a wild care free look. Sasuke was pale and his eyes cold and dark. The other boy was tan with eyes that sparkled with life. If Sasuke was like the moon that boy was the sun.

It took a while for her to realize that her thoughts were not only repeating, but she was actually favoring a stranger over her crush. Before she could begin to berate herself though a nock sounded on the door and it opened. She turned to see Naruto popping his head into the house. "Hey everybody, sorry I'm late. My guardian decided to play a nasty prank on me this morning."

Kakashi smiled innocently. "Oh, what kind of prank?"

Naruto's teammates had never seen the boy more irritable than he was right now. "Let's just say he screwed with my morning routine and he should watch his back because I will get payback."

Kakashi smiled at him. "Now Naruto revenge isn't a healthy thing. You don't want to end up emo like Sasuke."

"I'm not emo!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You're emo Sasuke get over it. And as for you Kakashi, if I'm not emo yet there is nothing in this world that can bring me down. Believe it!"

Kakashi's eye widened in shock. He pointed at Naruto in accusation. "Don't you dare say that ever again! You know I hate that. It reminds me of Gai."

Naruto began to laugh. "Hahahahahahahahaha! I don't care how much you hate it Kakashi. Believe it!"

Kakashi cringed. "Stop it!"

"Believe it, believe it! Hahahaha!" Naruto began to run around the room as Kakashi gave chase. "Shut up you little brat!" He almost snatched the boy but he leapt into the air flipped and kicked off the ceiling to get behind him running out the door laughing hysterically.

"Nice try Kakashi-sensei. See you at Hokage-jiji's office." With that said he ran off into the distance.

Kakashi screamed out the open door at the top of his lungs. "IF YOU START WEARING GREEN SPANDEX I REFUSE TO TEACH YOU ANYTHING!!!"

They could still hear the boy's laughter fading off into the distance. Kakashi sighed in defeat and turned towards his two other students both of whom looked shocked and confused. "Well if there is one thing he gained from all those pranks he pulled it was how to run away. The only way we'll find the little runt is if we go to the Hokage's office."

Both nodded still rather dumbfounded by the absurdity of the fight. They had been walking down the road for about a minute when something dawned on Sakura. "Kakashi-sensei, why did Naruto call the Hokage old man?"

Kakashi glanced back at the pink haired girl. 'After all that the only thing she's wondering about is Naruto's gift for names?' He sighed at how oblivious gennin could be. "The Hokage has always taken care of Naruto and so he is now seen as a grandfather figure. Couple that with Naruto's bad manners and lack of respect and you have Hokage-jiji."

Sasuke scowled. "And the Hokage actually lets him get away with it?" 

Kakashi grinned. "Naruto is difficult to hate once you get to know him and Sandaime knows that being called jiji is probably the most respect the boy would ever give anyone. He doesn't have any family so to be considered part of the one he created for himself is the highest honor he could give someone. Plus the Hokage is rather old."

Sasuke and Sakura face faulted. Yet again he had ruined a very good speech. He seemed incapable of being serious for long periods of time.

They arrived at the Hokage's office to see Naruto sitting on the old man's desk as they both laughed. The old man looked up when they entered the room. "Ah Kakashi nice to see you. Naruto just finished telling me about what happened at your house this morning. I never knew that Gai scared you that much."

Kakashi looked towards the corner of the room keeping his composer. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Naruto turned his head towards the scarecrow evil intent leaking off of him. "There's that hip attitude again."

Kakashi's cool attitude faltered at the sound of his adopted son's voice. He couldn't help the shiver that ran up his spine. "Don't do that! It's creepy as hell you little jackass!"

Naruto and the Hokage began laughing again at the copy ninja's expense. Kakashi pouted at the two. "That's it Naruto I forbid you from seeing Gai ever again."

"Please, you know he's your best friend. After all you two are eternal rivals." 

Again the jounin pouted. "Hokage-sama he's making fun of me."

The Hokage was laughing so hard that tears were leaking from his eyes. "Oh stop it you two. I can't breath." The old man gasped for air. "I love it when you two come to visit, it always brightens my day. Haha. So I take it that you four are here for your first mission?"

Kakashi went back into a relaxed pose as Naruto hopped off the desk and took his place next to his teammates. "Yep, my first ever gennin team is ready for a mind numbing stream of D-rank missions."

The three behind him visibly slumped as the older men grinned. "I would love to see how Naruto handles something he can't just skip out on." A scroll passed hands and Kakashi turned to his team.

"Let's get started on the torture, I mean mission."

They spent the rest of the day pulling weeds, walking dogs and going shopping for little old ladies. They all went home tired and irritable only to meet up at the training ground the next morning wait two hours for their sensei and start again.

By the end of the month they had weeded six gardens, painted two houses and four fences, babysat fourteen kids, walked twenty dogs, went shopping twelve times and chased down the daimyo's wife's cat more than any of them cared to remember.

As they stood before the Hokage, covered in scratches watching the animal all of them wanted desperately to kill being hugged into submission by its owner, they all felt a certain amount of sick pleasure at its torment. After all it served the creature right. At first they had all felt sorry for the cat, but after what it put them through it deserved its punishment.

The Sandaime was flipping through his papers to find a suitable torture session for one of his favorite teams. "Okay there is a woman who needs you to plant some flowers for her…"

"No!" Everyone looked at Naruto who was visibly shaking with anger. "I'm so sick of these missions and if I have to buy one more set of clothes because that cat puts holes in them I'm going to kill it!"

Sakura sighed, her teammate had finally snapped. "I agree with Naruto. I've had enough of these errands." She looked at Sasuke in shock. He had never spoken out to an authority figure before.

Sarutobi smirked as Iruka, who had been helping him today, yelled at them for their lack of respect. "I was wondering when you would crack. I must say you lasted much longer then I would have expected Naruto. Do you agree with these two Sakura?"

Sakura looked at the boys, then at that damned cat. Her mind was made up when the scratch on her arm gave a particularly strong twinge. "Yes. I'm tired of these D-rank missions too."

Before Iruka could start yelling again the old Hokage held up a scroll. "Well I do have one C-rank to give you."

The three immediately brightened. Kakashi sighed in relief, he didn't think he could take one more D-rank and stay sane. On top of that Naruto had been particularly malicious with his Gai imitations ever since the boxer incident. Perhaps he would calm down if he got out of the village. The Hokage gestured to Iruka to let a man in effectively cutting off his protests. A man only slightly younger than Sarutobi came in, he was obviously inebriated. "Team seven, meet the subject of your mission Tazuna. You are to make sure he makes it home and completes the bridge he's building in safety."

Tazuna took a swig of the sake he was carrying. "So these are the body guards the great Konoha has to offer. Their nothing but brats, and that little one in all the clothes looks like nothing but a depressed ten year old."

Naruto growled in irritation while Sasuke chuckled at his teammate, for once he wasn't the one being pointed out as emo. "I do not look like I'm ten! I may be short but there is no way I look that young you old drunkard!"

The man glared at him. "Why you little punk! Didn't your mother teach you to respect your elders?"

Naruto matched the glare from behind his sunglasses. "Respect is earned not given, and as far as I can see you hardly deserve it!"

Kakashi put a hand on the angry boy's shoulder to keep him from doing anything rash, for Naruto. "I assure you Tazuna-san, these three are full fledged ninja. They should have no problem guarding you, and if anything happens I'll be there too. Also please don't insult Naruto's size, the lack of growth is a very touchy subject for him."

Naruto grumbled in irritation. "It's not like I can help being short."

Sasuke smirked. "Stop being emo Naruto."

Naruto turned to the boy slowly. "The only reason he pointed me out as the depressed one is because I wear all black while you wear those goofy little white shorts."

Sasuke's eye twitched. "My shorts are not goofy, and at least I don't cover up like a mummy you skin diseased loser."

A pare of leather clad hands found themselves wrapped around the dark haired boy's throat. Kakashi immediately ran to pry his students apart before one of them was throttled. Naruto was doing his best to stay put while searing the air with curses, Sasuke was desperately gasping for air and Sakura was screaming at the top of her lungs. Tazuna was laughing hysterically at the mayhem he provoked and Sarutobi was left shaking his head at how unprofessional his ninja were acting.

That night poor Naruto was put through another Gai inspired work out for attempting to kill a teammate. He had tried to tell Kakashi that Sasuke was never in any danger, he had only wanted to make the boy black out, but his guardian would have none of it. And so that evening found him busy doing squats, push ups and sit ups in sets of one hundred three times each. He retaliated by screaming about the power of youth the whole time.

**I wanted to make it clear that Naruto is still Naruto, he's just gotten enough training and attention to tone him down a bit. Kind of like he is in Shippuuden. I also wanted to show that he has had just as much influence on Kakashi as he's had on Naruto. The strangling Sasuke thing was just a spur of the moment idea to show that they do still fight a lot.**

**I can't believe I have reached 94 reviews! I've never gotten so many to one story and I must say it feels nice to be appreciated like this. Which brings me to reviewer's corner, where I thank all of you for your support with one incredibly long sentence! **

**Thanks too: Tenshi's-Wings (I don't think people realize how strong they're making him), Boejangles (I couldn't bring myself to be quite that mean, yet.), spedclass (for all six times), HinduGoddess (he's right here, and Kakashi has a book shelf.), Hououza (Were you right?), gof22,rickp2006 (they're not that smart yet), Jaded Diamond (hehe, were any of your guesses right?), PryoFromHell959 (yes he will be and I'll do my best), missing-nin class-S, templar132 (I get what you were saying and thank you), Marada (haven't decided on wave arc, may change a bit), ADD Kyuubi Naruto, Gnosismaster, ryu (I told you it was good), likes a good story, jere7782, and of course TuffChick.**

**Thank you all again you make me smile.**

**Ja ne**

**Yooso**


	8. Chapter 8

**I've been getting a few questions in my reviews and thought I should explain some things. Sakura and Sasuke don't recognize Naruto because they have never really seen him without all the clothes. He was three years ahead of them before Kyuubi screwed him over.**

**Naruto's experiences affect everyone with different degrees. It all depends on how well they deal with physical and emotional torment. Orochimaru and Jiraiya would both be affected but neither of them has to touch him very long. It is also not like Orichimaru's killing intent thing, that preys on the opponents fear of death and they only see it convincing them that it will happen. Naruto's ability makes them go through all his physical and emotional torment. They basically live parts of his life breaking them down on a mental level.**

**As for how and when Sakura and Sasuke are going to find out about everything that is for me to know and you to find out. Mainly because I haven't really thought that far ahead so I have no idea either. Speaking of having no idea two people mentioned an idea that I loved in their reviews and will be using. You know who you are.**

**Still don't own Naruto.**

Human Contact

Kakashi and Naruto both arrived on time the next morning. Sakura and Sasuke were both shocked to see their teammate and sensei arrive on time. The only thing they had to wait for now was their client.

Naruto gave a snort of laughter. "I told you that old drunk wouldn't be here on time."

Kakashi's shoulders slumped as he grudgingly put some money in the boy's out stretched hand. "Why do I even bother?"

Naruto placed the money in his pocket. "Because you're convinced that one day you're going to win. It's always nice doing business with you sucker."

He looked at his other two very confused students. "Never bet against Naruto in anything. The gaki always wins, no matter what."

"Wanna bet?"

"Of course, you are going down this time kid!"

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "You do realize that if I go down I win right? I was just joking about that one."

Kakashi smacked himself in the forehead. "How do you make me walk into those traps?"

"I don't do anything. You are just addicted to gambling."

"I am not addicted to gambling. I'm addicted to winning."

"That is not youthful Kakashi!"

The silver haired man cringed visibly. "I told you not to do that Gai imitation anymore!"

Naruto snickered lightly as he pointed behind his mentor. "I think you should look behind you Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi turned hesitantly. There in a tree stood the infamous Gai-sensei in his even more infamous green unitard. "So it's true. Your first team ever is off on its first C-rank mission. Haha, I never thought I'd see the day."

Kakashi shrugged. "What ever."

Fire seemed to burn in Gai's eyes as he leapt down from his perch. "There's that hip attitude again. I'd expect nothing less from my eternal rival."

Kakashi's one visible eye rolled. "Yeah yeah eternal rival, I get it already. Why are you here?"

"I wanted to see your team off on their first big mission of course. Ah I remember my team's first big mission. So they gave you the Uchiha prodigy did they? Well I doubt he'll be any match for Neji."

Kakashi yawned. "I think that depends on him doesn't it Gai?"

"The only gennin that will defeat Neji is my Lee. He has been working very hard and I have faith that he will succeed."

"I bet Sasuke could beat him, after all Neji has an even bigger stick shoved up his ass."

Gai looked towards the boy surrounded in black cloth. "Naruto saying such things is unyouthfull. You should come training with Lee again; his youth will be a good influence on you."

Naruto laughed nervously a large sweat drop forming on his head. "I'll think about it. He usually leaves me with a few too many bruises."

"Nonsense, those bruises are merely a testament to your youthful hard work!"

At this point old man Tazuna decided to show up. The drunk looked Gai over critically. "Please don't tell me this freak is coming along too."

Kakashi was left to answer the bridge builder's question as Gai was sulking and his team was trying to keep their laughter under control. "No he is not Tazuna-san. Gai has his own team to worry about. Now that you are finally here shall we head out?"

Tazuna sighed. "Yes we should. You lazy bums are wasting daylight."

Kakashi placed his hand on top of Naruto's head to keep the young hot head from jumping their client. "Of course Tazuna-san."

As they went through the gates exiting the village Kakashi smiled down at Naruto. "What a nice surprise. Gai showing up like that. Wasn't it Naruto?"

Naruto looked away from his sensei. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Sasuke's eye twitched in irritation. Why were Naruto and Kakashi so buddy buddy all the time? "Did you two know each other before the teams were assigned?"

Naruto froze. "Why do you ask that?"

Sasuke shrugged. "You two are just so familiar with each other. I mean you make bets, you joke around, you even know how to drive each other crazy."

Kakashi smiled, one of his students finally noticed, and here he thought they were unobservant. "Good job Sasuke, it only took you a month to figure it out. Naruto and I have known each other for the past three years. I was the one assigned to train him after he contracted his skin disease and had to be taken out of school."

Sakura's eyes widened. "So you have been training him for three years? But academy students aren't supposed to be trained by jounin."

"The Hokage made an exception for me because I was supposed to take the graduation exams the year I contracted my disease. You two never met me before this year because I was three years ahead of you."

This made Sasuke angry. "You're the same age as us, how come you were three years ahead!"

Kakashi decided to save his student at this point. "Naruto was an orphan living on the streets. The Hokage put him in the academy at a young age so that he could learn to defend himself and keep him out of trouble."

"Why wasn't he in an orphanage?"

Kakashi turned toward the pink haired girl who was finally proving why she was considered smartest in her class. "After the Kyuubi attacked there were just too many orphans. They would be taken care of as best as possible but some, like Naruto, just ended up getting over looked."

Sakura looked shocked at the shot of reality. "So you lived on the streets?"

Naruto nodded his eyes on the ground, at least Kakashi had sugar coated the truth. "From three until four, then the Sandaime found me. He gave me an apartment and put me in the academy when I was six."

The group continued walking in silence for some time. Tazuna was surprised to find out that a young boy had managed to live through such a horrible situation and survive. Sasuke was digesting the idea that some people did in fact have lives as bad as his. Sakura was shocked by her little glimpse into the life of her mysterious teammate and the real world. Naruto was just glad that the full truth had not been revealed. Kakashi just read his book.

It wasn't until they came upon a puddle on the side of the road that things changed. Kakashi's eye rolled to look at the rather obvious genjutsu then continued as if he hadn't noticed it. He heard the splash as Naruto decided to jump in it and chuckled. Perhaps the chunin would learn from the headaches they received.

The chains that wrapped around him belonged to non other than the demon brothers. The jounin feigned surprise as he was ripped to shreds before the eyes of his team. Sakura screamed as she saw her sensei die but Sasuke acted immediately. He threw a kunai pinning their chain to a tree. The chunin simply abandoned their weapon one going after Sasuke the other attacking Naruto.

Naruto only had a second to glance at Sasuke's fight before dodging the vicious claws on his attacker's hand. "You little brat! I'll kill you for jumping on my head like that!"

Naruto continued ducking around his opponent's claws. "Well if you didn't want me to jump on you then you shouldn't have disguised yourself as a puddle when it hasn't rained in weeks." With that said he blocked the chunin's claws with the metal plate of his glove and slid inside his guard delivering a powerful strike to the neck.

The move would have been perfect if the demon brother had not managed to free his claws and attack his unprotected back before slipping into unconsciousness. Kakashi walked back onto the path clapping as Sasuke felled his opponent. Sakura sighed in relief at the sight of their sensei alive and kicking. "Good job boys, now we know who those two were after. You have some explaining to do Tazuna."

The old man was about to respond when Naruto fell to his knees gasping in pain. Sakura ran toward the boy hand reaching for the angry red gashes on his back. Kakashi's eye widened in shock as he raced toward the unsuspecting girl. He wrenched her hand away from the injured boy right before her fingers made contact. "Don't touch him!"

Sakura stood holding the offending hand in confusion as her teacher crouched over his injured student. She glanced over at Sasuke who just shrugged as confused as she was.

"How you doing Naruto, you okay?"

The boy groaned and gasped. "It hurts."

"Alright kid, just lie down and I'll take a look at you." Kakashi took a kunai to the back of Naruto's black shirt revealing the tan skin and bleeding gashes. He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He looked accusingly at the bridge builder. "Do you see what you have done! You lied about the danger of a mission and now my student is dieing from poison!"

Needless to say the other three were shocked. "Dieing? Can't we take him back to Konoha for treatment?"

The jounin looked at Sakura. "Doctors can't touch him. Naruto's skin disease is actually a blood line of sorts called Kagyaku (causing pain. Thanks Boejangles) but he can't control it. I'm the only person alive who can touch Naruto without feeling the effects."

"I've never heard of a blood line by that name."

"You wouldn't have Sasuke; Naruto is the first person to ever have it. Now would you care to explain yourself Tazuna?"

The old man looked thoroughly ashamed of himself. "My land is very poor. A few years ago the shipping tycoon Gatou arrived and took control of all trade. He bleeds our money dry and attacks innocent people with his hired thugs. By building my bridge I am creating another means of trade which will break Gatou's hold over us. I never wanted anything like this to happen but we could not afford a higher rank mission. I'll understand if you leave me, I just hope you can find some way to save the boy."

Kakashi sighed and looked at the boy on the ground. "What do you think Naruto?"

Naruto slowly reached up and removed his glasses revealing the sparkling blue eyes underneath. "I think you should bleed me out so that we can continue our mission."

Kakashi nodded grimly. "Sakura, Sasuke tie up those chunin and set up camp. We will escort Tazuna home tomorrow."

As the two began their assignments Kakashi gently removed the ruined shirt from his student. Naruto was glad that he had switched to a mask that covered his face and head as his old hood kept flying off in training. At least he maintained some of his dignity.

Kakashi sighed as he raised a kunai over his students torn back. "Are you ready Naruto?"

The boy squeezed his blue eyes closed clamped his mouth shut and nodded. A sharp cry of agony turned the attention of the other three to the makeshift operation table. They were horrified to see Kakashi cutting into the already deep wounds on Naruto's back the boy fighting with every ounce of will power to stay still. Blood covered Kakashi's hands as it flowed from Naruto's back.

"What are you doing?! He'll die!"

The kunai gouged into another large cut and Naruto screamed again. "If I don't bleed out the poison he will Sakura. Don't worry if anyone can survive this it's him." The Kunai ripped into the third cut and Naruto buried his face in the ground to muffle another shout. "Stop starring at me and get a fire going I'm going to need some hot water and bandages when I'm done."

By the time Kakashi was finished Naruto had passed out from the pain. The one eyed man bandaged up the wounds in silence smiling as he watched them heal. The poison was gone; the kyuubi would not close the skin if any toxins remained. "Sleep well Naruto, you deserve it."

The others looked at the young man in horror. Naruto had been awake through most of the torture and though he had screamed he had not moved. None off them could imagine how much will power that must have taken.

Something was bothering Sasuke. "Kakashi-sensei how is it that Naruto is the first person to ever have the Kagyaku? Blood lines are inherited traits."

"We don't know much about blood lines Sasuke, but they all have to start somewhere. Although, the way things are looking for Naruto, this one will never be passed on."

"What exactly does the Kagyaku blood line do?" The pink haired girl was looking at the peacefully sleeping boy intently.

"The Kagyaku is a truly terrifying blood line, both for the affected and the user. Ever since his tenth birthday anyone who has touched Naruto has been forced to go through every bad experience of his life, and he has had more emotional and physical trauma in his short life than anyone should have to deal with. He's been through so much in fact, that the first person ever affected by his ability went into a sort of coma."

Sakura gasped. What had Naruto been through that was so awful? She glanced at his closed lids that were hiding those beautiful blue eyes. They were so kind and warm, and familiar she had seen them somewhere before. "How is it that you are able to touch him Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi sighed at the memories. "I was the one put in charge of him after the incident. I helped him get the clothes he wears so that he could be around people without worrying about hurting them. It was only natural that I learn what I was dealing with so I made him let me touch him. It was the worst moment of my life and it wasn't even mine. After I got through it all without having a melt down there was nothing else it could do to me, and I've been able to touch him ever since."

"So it is possible for people to touch him. He won't necessarily be alone his entire life."

Kakashi sighed at Sakura's naïveté and placed his hand on his sleeping student's head. "It may be true that there is a way around his blood line Sakura, but few would be able to pay the price. Naruto would never willingly put an innocent person through that torture; he can barely put someone he hates through it. I had to force him to hold my hand that day."

Sasuke looked at the only person he could consider a friend then at his sensei. "Do you ever regret it?"

Kakashi gave Sasuke one of his signature eye smiles. "Not once in the three years I have taught him. Naruto is quite possibly the most remarkable individuals I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I have yet to meet anyone with more strength of character than him.

"Now I think it is time for sleep. I'll take first watch, Sakura second and Sasuke third."

Each person was in their own little world that night. Sakura was trying to imagine what Naruto's life must have been like. Tazuna was thinking about his grandson's reaction to this boy who seemed to have nothing. Sasuke was wondering if he could stand up to the test of Naruto's Kagyaku. Kakashi was hoping that the blond would forgive him for telling them so much.

The night wore on. Kakashi dealt with the demon brothers when he was sure everyone was asleep. There was no reason to expose the young ninja to the harsh realities of ninja life just yet. Not when they had just learned of the hell that was Uzumaki Naruto's life.

**Well that turned out different than expected. I wasn't planning on revealing his power that soon but it just kind of happened. I hope you like it despite the impromptu revelation. Tell me what you think of this one please because I'm not as sure of it as I have been of the others.**

**As always I'd like to thank all my wonderful reviewers. So thanks to Jho,** **Flames of Insanity, Denim88 (I'm always surprised that no one ever points out those awful pants), Mod Soul 982, full-metal-sousuke (I couldn't bring myself to reveal all his secrets this chapter), cutepuplover, spedclass, Twilight-Phantom 66 (thanks I have a tendency to overlook those things, and I'm a girl by the way), mangalover248, Deus Misereatur, HinduGoddess, JadedDiamond (I didn't think he would either), PeerLess, ChaosLink (Did that chapter answer your question), FreeTheKyuubi (funniest death threat I have ever gotten), rickp2006 (sometimes she can be a little dense but everyone can), loves a good story, Radon199 (I'm glad you enjoy my sense of humor but I'm afraid this one wasn't really funny), missing-nin class-S, goff22, Leihko (I don't find character bashing all that funny), Krymson, Paradox-chan (I try my best), Hououza, Gnosismaster (I honestly haven't gotten that far yet, I'm just kinda winging it) Tenshi's-Wings, jere7782 (it's nice to know that someone around my age still reads these) and a special thanks to Boejangles for giving me the name of Naruto's ability.**

**Ja ne**

**Yooso**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm back and ready to wow you with my amazing literary skill. I'd like to get this out of the way right now. There have been a few questions about my gender and though I don't care much I thought that some of you might like to know that I am in fact a girl. No big deal just wanted to clarify.**

**Don't own Naruto**

Human Contact

Sunlight streamed through the trees and hit Naruto's face, but that wasn't what was bothering him. His mattress seemed much harder than usual and he felt suffocated by the mask that still clung to his face. The fact that his gloves pants and shoes remained also irritated him. How could he have fallen asleep without removing all of his clothes?

He grudgingly opened his heavy eyelids, feeling much more drained than usual. Had he forgotten about some evil training session Kakashi put him through? There was a lot greener than he was used to, and his team was sitting around a fire eating breakfast with some old man. Suddenly he bolted upright making Sakura scream in shock. What were all these people doing in his room?!

His back seared with pain, protesting the quick movement. With the pain came his memory. The mission, the attack, the poison, the revelation of one of his deepest secrets… His heart plummeted at that memory; Kakashi would have had to explain some things after he passed out. There was no way that both Sasuke and Sakura had taken the knowledge of his "blood line" with out asking some questions. Now he would receive nothing but pity from his two teammates, and he had no idea how much Kakashi had deemed necessary to tell them.

"Welcome back to the world Naruto. Would you like some breakfast?"

The boy nodded, eyes downcast, and took the plate Kakashi had shoved under his nose. He refused to look at the others; he feared what he would see in their eyes. "Where is my bag? I need a new shirt."

"Not yet kid. We need to change those bandages first."

Naruto sighed and his shoulders slumped. He felt exposed and vulnerable without his shirt on, as if one of them was going to jump on him and riffle through all of his worst memories. "Can you at least give me my sun glasses? I feel a bit more secure with them on."

Kakashi's visible eye softened as he pressed the dark lenses into Naruto's hand. They were quickly put in place, hiding the now slightly dulled blue eyes. Kakashi knew that look; Naruto couldn't hide anything with those eyes of his. That was how he looked when Kakashi found him after that fateful October night.

"You knew that they would have to be told eventually. At least they found out before someone slipped up and got hurt."

"I know Kashi. I was just hoping that we could put it off a little longer. It was nice to be thought of as normal for a change."

Kakashi began undoing the knots in Naruto's bandages. "I know Naruto. But you have never been normal, you have always been extraordinary. It was only a matter of time before it slipped out."

"Being extraordinary is over rated." With that Naruto shoved food into his mouth so quickly that no one had time to look at him without his mask. A trick he had learned from Kakashi.

The others sat quietly watching the exchange. It was odd to see the ever confident and energetic Naruto so broken, and they all felt out of place during the rather intimate moment.

Sakura felt humbled seeing the vulnerable side of one of her best friends. Naruto had always seemed untouchable to her, never letting anything bring him down, now she knew that he really was. She tried to imagine what it would be like never being able to feel another person's skin against yours, living in constant fear that you might accidentally hurt someone, knowing that every time you used your power you allowed someone to see the most painful moments that you tried to hide. The last seemed like the worst to her. Allowing someone to see into the worst parts of your life was a terrible price to pay, even for such a crippling attack.

She watched the bloody bandages fall to the ground revealing a tanned upper body toned by hours of hard work. The cuts on his back didn't look so serious now; in fact they looked like they had been healing for a week. They were much smaller than yesterday and they were barely bleeding from his quick movements earlier.

Kakashi simply cleaned them off and began wrapping them in new bandages. Her eyes followed the white gauze slowly hiding his torso from view. Were it not for the injury to his back his skin would be flawless. No one had such perfect features except… The revelation hit Sakura like a ton of bricks. The boy from Kakashi's house!

Now that she thought about it, it was painfully obvious. Of course Naruto would live with Kakashi, after all the jounin was the only one who could touch him. That was why they knew each other so well! That was how Naruto had gotten his hands on one of Kakashi's perverted books and thought to bring it to the test! And Kakashi must have tricked him into answering the door that morning as revenge for the hostage situation.

Her eyes were wide in shock as she watched Kakashi help Naruto into a long sleeved black shirt. Naruto was the boy that had invaded her dreams ever since he opened the door! Naruto was the Adonis who shined brighter than the sun itself! She should have realized it the second she saw those eyes, there was no way that two people could posses eyes so pure blue.

A fan girl squeal was threatening to break free, but she kept her silence. A part of her was tempted to tell Sasuke of her revelation but she quickly thought better of it. Naruto obviously didn't want anybody to know, and he had already revealed one of his secrets. Who was she to reveal another? No, she would keep this one to herself for now. Let Sasuke figure it out on his own.

"All right Naruto you're all done. Do you think you can walk or are you going to need help?"

"I can walk on my own Kakashi." Naruto stood up defiantly only for his legs to wobble and make him collapse.

"That's what I thought. You lost too much blood last night. Even you need some time to regain your strength." With that said Kakashi picked Naruto up piggy back style.

A growl of irritation escaped Naruto's lips. "What am I five?"

Kakashi grinned. "Does little Naru-chan need a time out?"

Sasuke let out a snort of laughter at Naruto's new nickname. He had been trying to be as unobtrusive as possible, but he couldn't fight back the laughter. This did nothing to improve Naruto's quickly deteriorating mood. He knew that Sasuke would bring that name back to haunt him in the future.

"Shut-up you emo ass I'm injured!"

One of Sasuke's signature smirks spread across his face. "So sorry to offend…Naru-chan."

Sakura bopped the dark haired boy on the head. "Don't make fun of Naruto!"

This action shocked both the boys and Kakashi as it was very uncharacteristic Sakura. She never yelled at Sasuke for anything. To her he could do no wrong.

After the initial shock wore off Naruto understood what was going on. "Sakura I don't want your pity. Just because you know about my condition now doesn't change anything."

Sakura felt rather insulted. "How could you think that about me? You are one of the bravest people I know! I hit Sasuke because we both saw what happened to you last night. It's a miracle that you're alive after losing so much blood!"

Kakashi was surprised to say the least. The little fan girl had heard of the Kagyaku and stepped up beautifully. Naruto had been right again.

A warm feeling enveloped Sakura. The kind that let her know Naruto was smiling, but this one was different. This smile was just for her. "Thank you Sakura. You will never know how much you saying that means to me."

Sakura could feel another fan girl squeal coming on but suppressed it. Naruto was her friend not her crush. She had been pursuing Sasuke for so long that it felt weird to think of Naruto that way. Never mind that images of him answering the door in nothing but a pair of orange boxers were swiftly replacing those of Sasuke in her dreams. No, what she felt for Naruto was different. He was a best friend that happened to look good.

These thoughts rushed through Sakura's mind repeatedly as they continued the journey to Wave. She didn't come out of her stupor until Tazuna pointed out his masterpiece as they got onto the small boat ferrying them across the water. It was huge, a testament to the bridge builders skill. And here she had been thinking that he was just an old lush.

"Wow, that's incredible ji-san."

"Thanks a lot squirt, and stop calling me ji-san I'm not that old."

"Do you have any grand kids?"

"Yes."

"Then you're that old."

Tazuna probably would have smacked Naruto upside the head if not for the intervention of the boat man. "Will you two be quiet, or do you want to be attacked?"

Tazuna smiled sheepishly. Naruto had a gift for making him forget the danger he was in. Unfortunately that gift involved annoying him to death. "Sorry."

By this point the other three ninja were trying desperately to stifle their laughter. If they hadn't seen it happen with their own eyes they never would have guessed that Naruto was the one who got injured yesterday.

They made it to land without anymore problems as Naruto had actually kept his mouth shut. Tazuna thanked the boat man for the risk he had taken. Everyone was on edge as they walked through the forest. Their first encounter had been chunin and all of them knew what was coming next. Jounin.

A bush on the right shook ever so slightly and, in a moment of panic Sakura threw a kunai at it. A white rabbit trembled in fear of the knife that had come so close to ending its life. Sakura of course immediately felt guilty for traumatizing the poor white rabbit.

Kakashi glanced over at the girl cuddling the rabbit as he adjusted Naruto on his back. Something was wrong with this picture. How did a white rabbit blend into a forest without snow? Then it dawned on him, someone had used a kawarimmi.

"Everybody get down!" He pulled the injured boy off his back and lay them both down on the forest floor as his other students grabbed Tazuna. Kakashi had reacted just in time, as a large sword whizzed overhead seconds after he gave the order.

They all looked up at the dangerous weapon sticking out of a tree only to see a tall muscular man balanced on its handle. "The copy-cat ninja Hatake Kakashi. No wonder the demon brothers never came back. Who would have thought one of Konoha's most powerful ninja would be here, with a bunch of brats no less."

Naruto let out a growl as he pushed himself off the ground. "Calm yourself Naruto, that is Momochi Zabuza Demon of the Bloody Mist. You wouldn't last ten seconds against this guy, and he won't go easy on you just because you're a kid."

The man let out a sinister chuckle. "How flattering. It seems I am in your bingo book too."

"I need you three to cover Tazuna. I'll take care of Zabuza." Naruto's eyes widened as Kakashi lifted his hitae-ate revealing his other eye. He jumped back to his teammates and the old man drawing a kunai. If Kakashi was resorting to that before the fight began then this guy was tough.

Zabuza laughed hollowly as he jumped from his perch wrenching his sword from the tree bark on the way down. "The Sharingan revealed so soon, I'm flattered."

A thick mist began to creep through the air obscuring everything. It was stifling and the killing intent laced through it made it difficult for the gennin to breath, even Tazuna was feeling its affects. The chilling voice of Zabuza cut through the silence like a knife as he listed off all the body's vital points.

Naruto's legs shook slightly under his weight still not fully recovered from blood loss. Sakura was trembling like a leaf but the hand holding her kunai remained steady. Sasuke seemed to be taking it the worst. He raised his kunai to his heart, anything to free him from this awful tension that reminded him so much of that night.

"Sasuke!" He froze captivated by the calm face of his sensei which he could hardly see. "I will not allow any of my teammates to die."

"Too late!" Zabuza had some how managed to slip in between their defenses. Before he could make a move however Kakashi lodged a kunai into his liver. Water spilled from the mortal wound and the man dispersed revealing the real Zabuza who cut their sensei in half. Everyone's eyes widened as water splashed onto their faces instead of blood. Even in the mist Kakashi had managed to copy the Mizu Bunshin.

The real Kakashi's head slipped out of the water he had been hiding in. This had unfortunately turned out to be a mistake as Zabuza trapped him in a sphere of water. The gennin, seeing their sensei's plight, prepared to charge the man whose right arm was occupied. Before they made it half way there Zabuza made a one handed seal blocking them with a water clone.

The clone grabbed Naruto by the arm and twisted it behind the boys back making him drop his kunai as pain screamed through him. The other two stopped in shock as they watched their teammate sink down to his knees pain radiating from his injured back.

"Looks like this one didn't get away from my subordinates unscathed." The clone placed its foot on Naruto's back and applied pressure receiving a grunt of discomfort. "I'm surprised he's not dead already." More pressure, another grunt. "He has a high tolerance for pain Kakashi, you should be proud of this one."

Kakashi could only watch in horror as his son was tortured before his eyes, and this time he couldn't do a thing to stop it.

"How much does this one mean to you Kakashi?" The clone placed Naruto's dropped kunai against his neck. "I'd guess a lot by the tears in your eyes. He'll just have to be the first to go!"

The clone made to slice at the boy's neck with the dangerous blade but Naruto chose that instant to act. He blocked the knife with the armor on his free hand. Then, dislocating his shoulder, he rolled to the side freeing his back and wrenching his wrist from the bunshin's grasp.

He rolled several times to avoid the bunshin's grasp the dust he stirred up causing confusion. When he stopped he tossed a kunai at Sasuke. The boy grabbed it out of the air dropping his own in the process.

"What did you do that for dobe?! You could have killed me!"

"Shut up and throw it temme!" Naruto's right arm hung limply at his side and his glasses were askew revealing his blue eyes. One glance was all Sasuke needed to understand his friend's plan.

He threw the kunai at Zabuza's real body, putting his target practice to good use. The jounin snatched the instrument of death out of the air as if it was a toy. He laughed at the pathetic attempts of children. "Smart move aiming for my real body, but did you really think you could hit me with one kunai?"

Sasuke smirked. "As a matter of fact I didn't."

Smoke surrounded the weapon revealing a rather beat up Naruto hanging by the dislocated arm in Zabuza's hand, a glove clamped between his teeth. "Let's see how you like it ass hole!"

Naruto placed his bare hand on Zabuza's exposed torso. Zabuza saw himself being held down by his clone the large foot digging into the angry gashes on his back. Felt the shoulder rip out of its socket as he forced an escape. Felt the kunai ripping into the already mortal wounds to release enough blood and poison to kill a man twice.

He screamed in shock, wrenching himself away from the torture chamber in a child's body. In his effort to get away from Naruto his hand slipped out of Kakashi's water prison freeing the copy cat. Naruto fell into the water and began the difficult task of swimming to shore with only one arm.

"What the hell kind of technique was that? It was like I was the kid."

Kakashi stood in front of the demon, an unseen smirk on his face. "Naruto's skills are the least of your worries right now Zabuza. Besides didn't anyone ever tell you not to dish out what you can't take?"

The angry Zabuza charged at the copy nin zanbato raised. His strike was immediately blocked by a kunai. The two men faced off challenging each other's strength only to come to a stale mate. Zabuza pushed away from his adversary and began to form a long string of rapid hand seals only to see Kakashi mirroring his every move. At the exact same time two water dragons rose and began to do battle over head inevitably destroying each other.

Zabuza was shocked. That was no mere copy. Kakashi had finished at exactly the same time and with the same amount of power. He was more hesitant this time watching Kakashi's hands perform his exact movements as he prepared his strongest attack. His eyes widened in shock as he saw a ghost of himself over the man's shoulder, he hesitated.

That was all the time Kakashi needed. He completed the last hand seal and shouted out the attack. Zabuza found himself hit by a swirling tunnel of raging water. He slammed into a tree slumping onto the ground in an unceremonious heap. That jutsu hadn't been copied; Kakashi knew what he was going to do before he did it.

"Do you begin to understand now Zabuza? I can see the future, and you're not in it." Just as Kakashi was going to finish the job two senbon needles pierced the sensitive skin of Zabuza's neck. Kakashi checked the man's pulse confirming his death.

"Thank you for wearing him down. I've been after him for some time now." A young boy wearing a white mask leapt from the trees. "Your assistance in the retrieval of Momochi Zabuza will be included in my report. Now if you'll excuse me I'll take care of the body." With that the boy lifted Zabuza's body and disappeared.

"Kakashi-sensei who was that boy?"

"That was a hunter-nin of Kirigakure Sakura."

The pink haired girl nodded her head as she remembered the lesson on hunter-nin from the academy.

"That is so unfair. That guy couldn't have been older than us and yet he's already an elite?"

The small out burst brought everyone's attention to the very unhappy Naruto. There was no doubt that the cuts on his back had been opened again, his right shoulder was still dislocated rendering the arm useless. He was also sopping wet having spent the entirety of the battle trying to keep his head above water while getting battered about by the attacks. He was lucky to still be conscious.

"Naruto you have to remember that no matter how strong you get there is always someone stronger."

The boy rolled his now visible eyes his glasses having been lost in the water. "Just because I know it doesn't mean I have to accept it."

Kakashi smiled. "I suppose that's true. Now we better get going." Kakashi had only managed to take a couple steps before he froze eyes widening. He collapsed.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Naruto began the arduous task of getting on his feat. "Don't worry Sakura-chan. He just over used the Sharingan. It takes a lot of chakra to use for extended periods of time. Sasuke will have to carry him to Tazuna's place and he'll be back to normal in about a week."

"Why do I have to be the one to carry him?" Naruto had finally succeeded in standing up and his legs buckled making him fight for balance.

"You have to carry him because Sakura isn't strong enough to carry a full grown man and I can barely stand let alone walk. Unless you think we should make our client carry him, because that's so professional."

Sasuke sighed as he dragged Kakashi onto his back. "Man he's heavy. How far away is your house?"

Tazuna looked on the miniature ninjas with a new found respect. "Not far, it should only take about half an hour."

Sasuke groaned as he readjusted the tall man. "I was afraid of that."

When they reached the house both Sasuke and Naruto were about ready to collapse. A woman ran out of the house and hugged Tazuna. "Thank god you're safe!"

The old man smiled and hugged her back. "Tsunami I'd like to meet the ninja that got me home safely."

She finally noticed the four ragged ninja standing behind her father. "Oh kami, they're just children." Her eyes fell on the unconscious Kakashi. "Dad put him in a spare room for me, he needs medical attention."

Tazuna relieved Sasuke of his burden and began dragging the man into the house while his daughter hovered around the teens. "The little one can barely stand."

Naruto's eye twitched at the reference to his height. "I'm fine, just take care of Kakashi."

"But…"

"Don't worry ma'am, we'll take care of him. Just please help Kakashi-sensei." The woman nodded to Sakura and followed her father into the house. The ninja walked in behind her.

Naruto collapsed onto the floor almost as soon as they got inside. Sasuke followed soon after. Sakura looked at the two boys stretched out on the floor and shook her head. "Naruto give me your gloves."

Blue eyes snapped open and locked on her. "Why?"

Sakura sighed, he was so defensive sometimes. "Because I need to check your injuries and if you don't want me to touch you I'm going to need something on my hands."

Naruto seemed a bit unsure but he pulled of his gloves and slid them across the floor to her. She pulled them on noticing that though he was shorter his hands were slightly bigger than hers. "All right, now loose the shirt."

As Naruto went through the awkward motions of removing his shirt with only one working arm he learned to fully appreciate his mask. It hid the blush caused by stripping in front of a girl. Sakura came over and began untying the bloody bandages. She pulled her medical kit out of her bag and put some more anti-biotic on the wounds.

"How did you get so tan if you have to stay covered up all the time?"

He looked over his shoulder. "Do you really think this is the best time to ask about something like that?"

Sakura shrugged. "What does it matter? I'm asking, so are you going to answer?"

Naruto looked ahead trying to ignore the light touches on his back. "My room has a glass ceiling in it so that I can get sunlight during my down AHH! What the hell was that?"

Sakura pulled some gauze out of her kit. "I popped your shoulder back in place, now stop whining and lift up your arms so I can bandage your back."

Naruto did as he was told. "You could have warned me."

Sakura laughed as she began to wrap the bandages around his chest being careful to avoid contact. "If I had warned you then it would have hurt more." She tied off the bandages. "How do you feel now?"

Naruto rolled his shoulders a bit causing Sakura to blush slightly as his muscles flexed and stretched. "Better but my shoulder is still a bit sore."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Boys can be such wimps some times. Come here." Before Naruto could protest she grabbed his shoulder and started rubbing. His face was so red by this point that it put tomatoes to shame.

Sasuke smirked as he watched his two teammates. "I see how it is. You just go after the boy with the best sob story at the time huh Sakura."

The glare she shot at Sasuke could have made ice shiver, but when she looked away her hand slipped. Before she could stop herself her arm brushed against his shoulder. In that second of contact she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder and the sting of antibiotics on her back. She reeled backwards in shock falling onto the floor in a heap.

Both boys snapped around to look at her in shock. "Sakura are you okay? I'm so sorry, this is all my fault!"

His blue eyes shone with concern and fear. "I'm alright Naruto. I only touched you long enough to feel what I just did, no big deal. Besides it was my fault anyway. I should have been more careful."

Naruto grabbed his shirt and put it on quickly in a desperate attempt to protect her. "Can I have my gloves back please?"

Sakura took them off and slid them across the floor just like he had done earlier. She watched as he thrust his shaking hands into the leather safety. "I was right you know."

"About what?" he mumbled.

"I know what it felt like when I popped your shoulder back in. You were being a baby."

The boys just looked at her in surprise for a minute. Then slowly they started laughing. Sakura soon joined them.

Naruto had never been so relieved. Sakura had touched him and it wasn't the end of the world. She wasn't hurt and she didn't think of him as a monster. On top of that he could still remember how soft her skin had been when it brushed against his shoulder.

**I have never written a chapter this long before in my life. What can I say, I was in the zone. The odds of another chapter this long are slim to none. After all twenty one pages is a lot of typing.**

**Thanks a bunch to: Firefly-the-Wolf, remnantsofsanity, Switchblade237, Boejangles (I can almost promise he will), RyoTheSaiyan (I'm glad you think this story is so good), FISHY CRACKERS (hello new fan), missing-nin class-S, bbiscool323, XDKingdomHeartsXD (I try), loves a good story, RoyalBlade101, Dreamergirl92813, frogger666 (I think it turned out well too), Tenshi's-Wings (that gap has always bugged me), Hououza (Sasuke is going to become much more complex as time goes on), HinduGoddess (I try to slip in humor where ever I can), snowecat (homonyms are evil), rickp2006, srprasanna, Cyber-Porygon (I never thought of that), Darkide (I always thought jumping into the puddle would have been funny, but it is a very Naruto thing to do), DarkRavie (She isn't so bad all the time), ZenNoMai (long enough for you?), Denim88 (Oh it will be wonderful dramatic sappiness), full-metal-sousuke, Could-Careless, JadedDiamond (It will only affect you with new stuff, but that comes in later), Tim (or like that), spedclass, Gnosismaster (I hadn't thought of that), FreeTheKyuubi (your reviews make me laugh hysterically), jere7782 (I haven't gotten that far yet), CrimsonCat101 (I'm glad I stick out so much, being different is wonderful), gclp and friend (Hah I'm fanfic crack! Yeah me!)**

**Well that's it for my shout outs. They just keep getting longer and longer, and despite the fact that all my reviews are positive I get a lot of threats. I've never been so happy.**

**Ja ne**

**Yooso**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm back and I feel like it has been forever. I can't believe I broke two hundred reviews. The last story I wrote only got fifty six and this one isn't even complete. Granted a lot more people read Naruto fanfics than Card Captors. Hope you enjoy this chapter too.**

**Still don't own Naruto and I'll sick my Gaara plushy on anyone who says other wise.**

Human Contact

Kakashi's eyes opened slowly and he immediately regretted doing so. They were full of grit and his vision swam making his stomach give an uncomfortable lurch. He carefully pushed himself into a sitting position ignoring his body's protests. He hated chakra exhaustion, it felt like a bad hangover but without the fun night.

His mouth was dry and his head pounded mercilessly. His visible eye cast about the room until it fell on his salvation, a glass of water and a pain pill. He took them and then began forcing his brain into gear. He remembered fighting Zabuza and a hunter nin taking the body away. Something about that bugged him but he chose to let it slide for the time being. He remembered seeing Naruto lying on the ground, pretty banged up from his rescue and being stuck in the middle of a jounin battle. Naruto would need some medical attention. Then everything went black, so how did he get into this room?

The door slid open and Kakashi immediately went for a kunai only to find that his weapons had been taken. Blue eyes looking down at him from the door way were the only thing he could see of the intruder. Kakashi visibly relaxed, it was Naruto.

"So you're finally up. Everyone was really worried about you." Naruto sat down beside his sensei's bed role. Kakashi noticed that his movements showed no signs of lingering injury. His other two students came in as well taking places beside him. "How you feeling Kashi?"

The Cyclops shrugged lazily, though immediately regretted it as even that movement hurt. "Okay I guess, although I wish those pain killers would kick in faster. How about you, who fixed your shoulder?"

"Sakura-chan took care of it for me. She's really good at fixing injuries and she even thought of borrowing my gloves so that I wouldn't hurt her." Sakura smiled proudly at the complement to her skill.

Kakashi smiled. "So nothing bad happened?"

Sakura shook her head. "Everything went fine. Although my arm slipped when Sasuke-kun distracted me and I felt Naruto's shoulder getting popped back into the socket. He was being such a baby about it too."

Kakashi laughed lightly. "Well I suppose it's easier to say that when the pain isn't real."

All three genin looked confused. "What do you mean not real?"

Naruto nodded at his pink haired teammate. "She felt it, doesn't that make it real?"

Kakashi thought for a moment. "I suppose I never told you what it is like to touch you did I?" Naruto shook his head. "I guess it never seemed important since I was reliving your experiences and you already knew how bad it was, but it's not the same."

Naruto was puzzled. If they were his experiences how could they be different for someone else?

"You see Naruto we only see and feel your memory. Each moment happens in seconds. This makes it harder to handle when going through your whole life because there is no time to recover, but it also makes it easier when going through short experiences because it is over in a flash.

"When we let go of you our pain disappears because it was never real for us, where as yours lingers. We don't physically go through your experiences, only mentally, so there is no lingering feeling after it is over. We can still remember everything we saw and felt just like you, but it isn't as strong because they aren't our memories."

Naruto still looked confused as his teammates processed the information. "I don't get it."

"It's like a genjutsu." Sasuke's thoughts had taken a dark turn. The technique his brother used on him was still fresh in his mind.

Sakura shook her head. "In theory yes, but the Kagyaku is different from genjutsu. It's more like an echo of the pain."

Kakashi nodded. "That is a great way of putting it Sakura. Now on to the important things; where am I, how did we get here and is there food?"

The three simultaneously slapped their foreheads in irritation. He had done it again. Kakashi could not get through one speech without being Kakashi.

Sasuke was the first to recover and answer his sensei's questions. "We are at Tazuna's house, I carried you and you have to drag your lazy ass to the kitchen."

That word, drag, it bothered him. Why did he feel like he was missing something important? Kakashi's eye widened as the realization hit him. That hunter-nin dragged Zabuza's body away. How could he have been so stupid? "Naruto help me up. After I eat I'm taking you three out for training."

Naruto wrapped one of his arms around his shoulder and began hoisting him off the bed roll. "You do realize that Sasuke was just joking about the kitchen don't you?" He was grunting with the effort of lifting someone so much larger.

"Yes I do, but I need to get you three training as soon as possible. Sakura bring me that crutch over there."

The rosette immediately followed the order. Kakashi adjusted it under his arm. Normally he would not be pushing himself like this but he would not let anyone die while he was in charge. Not this time. He hobbled off to the kitchen his team following him, confused by the un Kakashi behavior.

As they entered the kitchen Tsunami smiled at them. Breakfast was on the table for everyone within minutes. Kakashi and Naruto both ate their food with inhuman speed like always, then began waiting for the others to finish.

"Kakashi-sensei why are you so bent on training today, you should be resting."

Kakashi made a bridge with his fingers. "Sakura tell me what you know about hunter nins."

The girl did not understand why her sensei was dodging the question but decided to answer none the less. These were the only times when she could show her stuff. "Hunter nin are the elite of their village. They track down and kill the missing nin of their country, destroying all evidence of the body so that none of their village's secrets will be revealed."

Kakashi smiled. He loved having this girl on his team to explain things for him. "And what did our hunter nin do with the body?"

"He carried it away. So what?"

Sasuke was getting sick of this academy review session he wanted answers and he was not known for his patience. "The body being carried away is why we should be concerned. Hunter nin destroy the body on the spot regardless of who is watching, yet this one carried it away. So that would lead us to believe…"

His students sat there quietly as did the family. Kakashi was about to let them in on his information when it finally dawned on Sakura. "Zabuza is still alive!"

The family gasped in shock having been told the whole story by Tazuna. "Exactly. You know I had my doubts when I first met you Sakura but you definitely are a smart one. This is why we have to train. I want all three of you to be at your absolute best next time we meet. Judging by Zabuza's reputation that will be in about a week."

Through the entire conversation Tazuna's grandson Inari was getting more and more upset. His small fists clenched in anger as he listened to the ninja. "Why do you bother? Gatou will win, he always wins!" The little boy ran out of the room, tears streaming down his eyes.

Tsunami followed her son but a door slamming deterred her. Tazuna sighed. "I apologize for Inari. He has had much sadness in his life."

Kakashi nodded at the old man. "It's fine. Now you should be fine at the bridge for today so I am going to train them, after that at least one of us will be with you at all times. Just be careful and everything will be fine. Now we need to go."

Using his crutch for support he pulled himself into a standing position once more and walked outside, his genin team trailing behind him. The going was slow due to Kakashi's injuries but they didn't stop until they were deep in the forests surrounding the house.

"Today we will be working on chakra control by climbing trees." Naruto groaned while the other two looked confused.

"Kakashi-sensei how is climbing trees supposed to help our chakra control?"

"That is a very good question Sakura. It will help because you are not allowed to use your hands." Again he got two very confused looks. "Naruto could you please demonstrate, I'm still a bit unsteady."

The short boy sighed. "Hai Kashi." He placed his hands in the ram seal and his eyes closed in concentration. A small cloud of dust rose around his feet then with eyes snapping open he charged forward and ran up the tree. He was about half way up when he lost his grip and fell back to the ground, flipping so that he wouldn't hit his head.

Kakashi frowned at his son. "Someone has been cutting corners on his training again."

Naruto gave a nervous laugh his hand immediately going behind his head. It was a nervous habit that Naruto had some how managed to pick up.

"I'll get to you later." The silver haired jounin turned away from his nervous son. "Now, what you two just saw Naruto doing was a more difficult variation of the leaf exercise aptly named tree climbing. You simply gather chakra in the soles of your feet and use it to grip onto the tree. This is perfect for chakra control for two reasons. First channeling chakra to the bottoms of your feet is more difficult than any other body part. Second the mix of spiritual and physical energy must be perfect. Too little and you just slide off, too much and the tree breaks blasting you away."

Sasuke listened to the explanation but never took his eyes off of his diminutive friend. "How come Naruto knows how to do this and we don't?"

Kakashi rolled his visible eye. "I taught Naruto this exercise in his first year of training because his chakra control is abysmal. He has to work on it constantly because his chakra is so unmanageable. From what I just saw he probably hasn't climbed a tree in two weeks."

"Why is his chakra so unmanageable?"

"Because Naruto's chakra is very potent and there is a lot of it." Sakura was not very pleased with the rather vague answer to her question. She was about to probe for more details but Kakashi threw two kunai that landed at the feet of both her and Sasuke. "Now I want you two to climb as far as you can and mark your progress with these kunai. I'm going to have a little chat with Naruto about his training for the day."

Sakura found the exercise extremely easy, making it to the first branch about fifteen feet up and sitting down. She noticed deep imprint and a slash about two feet up on Sasuke's tree meaning that he had used too much chakra.

Kakashi turned from a sulking Naruto to see how his other charges were fairing. He was surprised to see how far up Sakura had gone in one try. "Well it looks like the female of the team has the best grasp of chakra." Sakura smiled brightly at the compliment but Sasuke gave an irritated growl. "Don't worry Sasuke; you did better than Naruto on his first try. Now keep at it you two, Mr. Doesn't Want To Practice will be right with you."

Naruto rolled his eyes and made about fifty Kage Bunshin. Each one ran up to a tree and started climbing. The real Naruto sighed as he got into a pushup position. "You know that this could be counted as child abuse."

Kakashi put his foot on Naruto's back. "Shut up and give me fifty." He didn't remove his foot as his student began his exercises.

About an hour later found Sakura taking a break. Sasuke continued charging up the tree gaining inches each time. The Bunshins where almost making it to the top at a run by now while Naruto was reduced to doing clapping push ups under the watchful eye of Kakashi.

Sakura didn't know where the boys got the energy, especially Naruto who had spent the last hour doing sets of fifty in every kind of push up imaginable while maintaining fifty clones. As he finished the last push up one of his clones finally made it to the top of a tree. It gave out a yell of triumph and then all fifty dispelled at the same time.

Shouting in discomfort Naruto grabbed his head and collapsed onto the ground. "Oh man, major brain rush!"

Kakashi tapped the boy lightly with his foot. "Too much information at once?" The boy nodded as he pushed himself up. "Good maybe that headache will remind you why you don't shirk training. Now I want you to walk up that tree and alternate hanging squats and crunches in sets of one hundred until I get all of you for lunch.

Naruto glared at the silver haired slave driver. "This is cruel and unusual punishment you sadist!"

The teacher gave an evil cackle. "I know."

A humph of irritation and Naruto stomped over to the tree and walked up it with out even pausing to focus his chakra. "THE POWER OF YOUTH SHALL PREVAIL! BELIEVE IT!"

Kakashi flinched. "STOP TRAUMATIZING ME!"

"NEVER! YOOOUUUUUTH!"

"AAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH! I'M GOING TO GET YOU FOR THIS YOU LITTLE BASTARD!"

Naruto had already started doing the squats as he hung upside down from a branch. "REVENGE IS UNYOUTHFULL KAKASHI!"

The jounin was very near the point of pulling out his gravity defying silver hair. "I'm going to need therapy after this." Instead of making himself bald he turned and started walking towards the house.

"THERE'S THAT HIP ATTITUDE AGAIN!"

Kakashi flinched. He hated it when Naruto got on these streaks. He was far too good at imitating the eccentric jounin. Gai he could handle, but seeing the boy he took care of acting like Gai was another story.

A few hours later saw both Sakura and Sasuke on the ground panting. Sasuke had only just made it three quarters of the way up the tree and now felt like passing out. Naruto was still hanging upside down doing his assigned workout though his clothes were sticking to him from sweat and his breathing was ragged.

Both resting genin watched him with some sick fascination. "Where does he get the energy?"

Sakura didn't know how to answer Sasuke. "Naruto, why don't you come down and take a break? You look like you are going to pass out."

It was true. His legs and stomach screamed in protest at every movement and each one to more effort than the last. His clothes were drenched with sweat and his mask was suffocating but he pressed on. "I'm not stopping until that pervert gets back here. I won't give him the satisfaction of knowing that he got me to give up. I always finish the training he gives me and I'm not going to stop that now."

Sasuke's eyes widened as he watched his friend push onward. He could tell that it was only pure stubbornness that kept Naruto's body from shutting down. The black haired boy got up and focused his chakra. If Naruto wasn't going to stop then neither was he. Again he began running at the tree.

A few minutes later Kakashi strolled into the clearing to see the boys still going. "All right you two that's enough training for now. You all need some food and a break."

Naruto still hung upside down while Sasuke returned to the ground, very ready for some food. "Is this all Kashi? I could keep this up all…day." His blue eyes closed slowly and the chakra in his feet dissipated leaving him to fall towards the ground.

In a burst of strength she didn't know she possessed Sakura leapt forward and broke his fall. Kakashi sighed. "Let's get the baka back to the house. He'll be fine with some food and rest." Between Sasuke and Sakura Naruto's weight was easy to bear and they made it back to Tazuna's with little incident.

Once inside they left Naruto's unconscious form in the living room and went to wash up. Kakashi stayed and pulled the mask off of Naruto's face so that he could breathe freely revealing the blond hair and boyishly handsome face. Then he removed his shirt so that Naruto lay half naked on the floor. Kakashi knew that Naruto passed out largely due to the heat caused by his clothing coupled with exhaustion.

As he went to grab a canteen of water from the kitchen a head of pink hair peeked around the corner. Sakura approached Naruto's sleeping form with all the silent grace that comes with being a female ninja. She crouched down next to him and looked at his peaceful face, her lips curved in a smile.

"I see you've found out who my roommate is."

Sakura jumped at the sound of Kakashi's voice but quickly regained her composure when he didn't seem mad. "I've known since the day after the demon brothers attacked."

Kakashi's eye closed in one of his smiles. "I figured you would be the one to figure it out." He walked towards the two teens on the floor. "Does Sasuke know as well?"

Sakura's eyes returned to her snoozing friend. "I didn't tell him if that's what you're asking. It is Naruto's secret to reveal, not mine."

Kakashi looked on the young girl with even more respect. She really had matured in these past few days. Sakura was blossoming right before his eyes. He saw her hand move towards the sunny yellow hair of his charge but stopped it before her fingers found its softness. "Don't want you to accidentally touch his skin, who knows what you might see."

The girl frowned as she pulled her hand back. "It isn't fair that he has to live like this."

"No it isn't, but I'm very glad he found a friend in you Sakura. Who knows, maybe one day you will be ready to touch him and share his burden as I do." Before Sakura could respond he poured out half of the water in the canteen onto Naruto's face making the teen wake up spluttering in surprise.

"Welcome back to earth Naruto." He handed the rest of the water to the boy, who began to drink greedily. Then blue eyes landed on the third person in the room and Naruto almost choked on the cool liquid.

"Sakura-chan! What are you doing here?"

The girl laughed at the rather comical expression on his face. "I wanted to make sure you were okay. Now relax Naruto I already knew that you lived with Kakashi-sensei."

This caused the fox boy to glare at his guardian. "Hey don't look at me like that. You said so yourself that she was smart. She figured it out on her own. Now I suggest that you finish that water and put on a fresh mask before anyone else walks in."

Naruto bolted down the liquid like he did his food and took the fresh mask in Kakashi's hand. Within seconds the bright hair and handsome face were concealed beneath thin black cloth. "I'm going to run and change my clothes. I must reek from all that sweat."

With that he went to his room passing Sasuke on the way. The genin turned to watch him go and his sharp eyes fell on something strange. "Where did the wound on his back go? There isn't even a scar there."

Kakashi flinched; he was hoping that neither of them would notice that, now he had to make up a believable cover story on the spot. He racked his brain furiously before smiling as he landed on pure gold. "Well Naruto can't be touched by most people right? So that means no doctors. Because of that he immune system and cell regeneration are far above that of a normal person, which is why he didn't die of blood loss when I got rid of the poison. His healing process gets stronger every year and eventually I think he'll be able to recover from anything short of cutting his head off. It's just his body evolving to survive."

His was very pleased to see that both his students accepted the explanation he had come up with. Naruto definitely owed him big time, although it was his fault that he passed out and was seen without a shirt on in the first place.

Naruto came back fully clothed in a fresh out fit. "Hey every body, is lunch ready? I'm starving." They all went into the kitchen to see Tsunami setting out bowls of food for everyone. "Ah food! You are by far the most wonderful person I have ever seen Tsunami-san."

The woman giggled at the boy's enthusiasm while her son rolled his eyes in irritation. Tazuna walked through the door. "I've been working like a dog all morning and nothing will make me happier than a nice home made lunch."

"Well then you better sit down and eat dad, because these ninja of yours have been training all day and they might just eat everything I've made."

Lunch was a nice affair with Naruto and Kakashi pulling their usually speed eating routine as everyone else ate at a normal place and talked. Naruto went through four helpings before he was satisfied.

The pink haired girl looked at him in surprise. She dieted constantly to maintain her figure and here he was tossing back enough to feed two and still keeping a trim physique. "Where do you put it all Naruto?"

His blue eyes looked at her filled with confusion then glanced back down at his plate as realization dawned. "Oh, well I have a really high metabolism to begin with. Plus Kakashi makes me do conditioning every time I act up, which is a lot, so I burn about as many calories as I take in."

"Speaking of physical exercise, after passing out from what I put you through you will not be taking part in training this after noon."

The boy was shocked. "You can't be serious Kashi! I'm fine, I can take the work."

Kakashi shook his head. "Naruto it has only gotten hotter out there since this morning and with the amount of clothes you're wearing you risk heat stroke. You've already pushed yourself to the breaking point once today I'm not going to let you do it again.

"Instead you will be meditating while Sasuke continues climbing, if he has any problems I'm counting on you to help him out. While you two are doing this I'm going to be teaching Sakura how to walk on water."

Sakura looked up in shock. "You're going to be teaching me something new on my own?"

Kakashi smiled. "Out of the entire team you have the best chakra control and you won't be getting any further by continuing to climb trees. It wouldn't be fair if I let their ability hold you back."

Sakura had never felt so proud of herself. She was never considered the most advanced in anything ninja related before. Naruto smiled at her like he always did when she succeeded at something while Sasuke looked a bit jealous.

Inari looked at all these foolish ninja that worked so hard to win an unbeatable fight. He knew better though. It didn't matter how strong they were people like Gatou always win. He stood up quickly and ran to his room to cry for his fallen hero.

Everyone watched him go but no one followed him this time. Tsunami looked down, her eyes filled with sadness, knowing that her words would not break through to her shattered little boy.

Kakashi cleared his throat. "Well we better get back to training. No body gets stronger by sitting on their ass all day."

With that the ninja left the house leaving the small family to themselves for the time being.

If there was one thing Naruto hated it was meditating. Sitting still for hours on end didn't work for the energetic blond boy. Sasuke had made great progress after Naruto had given him some advice Kakashi gave him when he was learning. The dark haired boy was almost to the top running now.

Sasuke was determined to have the exercise down by the end of the day no matter what it took. He would not be the weak link in his team. He was an Uchiha with a mission, weak was not an option. He had just made it to the top when his energy gave out and he fell to the ground, pushing off other trees to slow his progress.

When he landed it was to see Naruto in a handstand with his eyes closed. "I thought Kakashi told you to meditate so that you didn't get heat stroke."

"I am meditating; I just choose to do so in a way that improves my balance too. Besides what Kakashi doesn't know won't kill him."

The black haired boy shook his head in wonder at his strange teammate. "What makes you work so hard?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

The dark boy's eyes became distant. "You know about the Uchiha massacre right? Well what people don't know is that my older brother is the one who did it. He killed our parents and then used an advanced form of the sharingan to make me see the whole thing. I vowed that no matter what, one day I would be strong enough to kill him and avenge my clan.

The shorter boy flipped his legs down and sat before his brooding friend. "Do you really think that your parents want you to survive on hatred and need for vengeance? I mean I've never had parents myself but I always believed that the only thing they wanted was for me to be happy."

Sasuke couldn't deny the wisdom of his friend, but that didn't kill his desire for his brother's death. "I don't think I could ever be happy while he still breathes. Itachi ruined my life."

Naruto's eyes shown with empathy. "I understand how much it sucks to be alone. But you shouldn't let that keep you from living. Perhaps you should think of your goal in a different way. Instead of killing him for vengeance, kill him to bring him to justice."

It was weird to hear the usually hyper boy sound so wise and calm. Sasuke decided to shove the advice away until he was alone. "You never answered my question."

Naruto pulled off one of his gloves and held his bare hand out towards Sasuke. The boy's black eyes focused on the exposed flesh nervous of what was going to happen. "I've been alone my entire life, and all but a few people in the village hate me. I've been attacked more times than I can remember and my blood line evolved as a way for me to protect myself and survive."

"Why do they hate you?"

Naruto had been prepared for this question. "I was born on the day the Kyuubi was defeated. Because of that I became the village scapegoat; with the demon gone they needed somebody to take out their frustration out on. I was just the one unlucky enough to be chosen.

"I fight to protect the few people who see me for who I really am and to change the opinions of everyone else." He pulled back his hand and put his glove back on. "The Hokage always says that I was smiled upon by Kami, because only an angel could forgive what I've been put through so easily. That isn't true though, I don't forgive as easily as he thinks, I just refuse to stoop to their level."

Sasuke looked at his friend in shock. If Naruto was telling the truth then his life had been much more difficult than his own. "I don't think I could ever be as noble as you, so for now I'm going to cling to my revenge. But one day I hope I'll be strong enough to shake your hand without the gloves."

Naruto smiled at him. "I always knew there was more to you than the emo exterior."

Sasuke stood to return to his tree climbing. "Now you just sound like Kakashi Naru-chan."

**I went and wrote another long one. It didn't come to me as easily as the previous chapters and it ended up having a lot more content then originally intended. I also showed a softer side of Sasuke which in true Yooso fashion happened without any previous planning. Sometimes I feel like the story is the one in control and I'm just there to type up the words.**

**Anyway I thank all of you so much for your reviews I keep getting more responses with each chapter I type up. Which brings me to my obscenely long shout out list.**

**Thank you so much to: the animaniac dude (no one has ever been jealous of me before), jon02, Twilight-Phantom66 (I never knew you people were rabid, now I'm a bit scared), narsaksas (I'm sorry my story distracted you in class but glad I almost brought tears to your eyes), Exodius, kagekitsune49, …, templar132 (he does have to be able to take off his gloves and catch them), HinduGoddess (making fun of each other is kind of their thing, but he wasn't a jerk in this one), phoenix-hanyou (he does feel new pain it's just easier cause it's not all built up, I haven't decided the rest yet), likes a good story, missing-nin class-S, Tim (I was definitely in the zone again for this one), Amei-chan (This one is 23 pages long), Boejangles, cutepuplover (getting your shoulder popped back in hurts), Hououza (the beauty is in the difference of their thoughts), JadedDiamond, ShivaVixen (you guessed right), snowecat (I actually do have an idea for when Sasuke touches him), Dirac Blade (That makes me think of G Gundam), spedclass, Tetsukon (that's why he shouted), Starlight – Wild Koneko (Only if it was the first time she had touched him), Tama Saga, Coulomb, The World at Large, full-metal-sousuke, Alori Kesi Aldercy (I love getting new readers), DarkRavie, jere7782 (it is going to take some work on her part), Denim88 (I love your long reviews. It will go into the war and I like hearing people's predictions it makes me see things in a way I never thought of before and gives me ideas. I'd love to read your stories when you get a processor.), Havok, rickp2006, FreeTheKyuubi (Your reviews are some of my favorites because they make me laugh so hard), Katana King, Gnosismaster (I'm glad you like it enough to read it twice, and I try really hard to get over my writing disability so you saying I'm good means a lot.), FISHY CRACKERS (now I need to go shopping for a crown, comments like this make me feel like a real writer.)**

**Now that is done I'm going to stop because I don't care much for typing and have been doing so for hours. My fingers are killing me! I hope you liked this chapter as much as the others and hope to hear from you all. Your reviews are my inspiration.**

**Ja ne**

**Yooso**


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm back everybody! I don't have much to say right now except to apologize ahead of time that I do not know how to play poker so I kinda made it up the best I could.**

**Still don't own Naruto. crawls into corner and drowns sorrows in cookies.**

Human Contact

The next morning found the team separated yet again. Kakashi had sent the boys to continue climbing while Sakura went for the morning shift at the bridge. Sakura had picked up water walking almost as easily as tree climbing, only falling in a few times. By the evening she had been running around on the water's surface as if it was solid ground.

Kakashi smiled as he realized that he had a team of three protégés each in there own right. In addition to Sasuke's previous title of genius due to how well he picks up all aspects of Shinobi life he also had Naruto and Sakura. Naruto was of course not the brightest crayon in the box, though much smarter than he let on, but he worked incredibly hard; a genius of hard work as Gai would put it. Then there was Sakura smart and delicate, originally he had pegged her as the weak link but her chakra control was perfect revealing that with a little hard work she had almost unlimited potential. The masked jounin couldn't wait until the chuunin exams when he could rub his perfect team in all the other instructors, faces.

Naruto and Sasuke could both consistently make it to the top of the trees by this point, but Kakashi had deemed them unready to walk on water. So instead of proceeding he had given them each a set of weights and forced them to repeat the exercise. An extra ten pounds on each limb didn't seem like much, until you put it all together and tried to defy gravity. In their first attempt both boys only found themselves able to make it half way before falling.

Grumbling they continued attempting to make it to the top with the added weight. "Why is it that Sakura is ready to walk on water but we aren't? I mean we both made it to the top yesterday so why can't we move on to something new?"

The blond grunted as he fell towards the ground yet again. "Don't ask me. I've been doing this for three years and he still hasn't taught me how to walk on water. At least you've only been doing this crap for one day."

"That's right; you have been doing this a lot longer than me." The dark haired boy smiled, no longer feeling like the weakest on the team. His Uchiha pride swelled up. "So I guess that makes me stronger than you, after all it only took one day for me to reach the top."

Naruto glared at his friend. "Like your emo ass could ever beat me in a fight. You look like you spend more time primping than training."

"Don't blame me because girls treat you like a leper. I'm not the reason you wound up with a totally screwed up blood line dobe! Besides I can't help it if I'm beautiful."

Naruto laughed. "The world is coming to an end! The emo made an attempt at humor."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I'm not emo! And I have always had a sense of humor. For instance I always thought it was very funny when Kiba got dragged into class bound and gagged for skipping."

"So you only laugh when it is at the expense of others."

"Well of course, it isn't funny when something embarrassing happens to me."

"Which explains why you spend so much time on your appearance in the morning, after all we can't have an Uchiha looking like he roles out of bed every morning."

Sasuke smiled lightly. He had to admit he was getting used to Naruto's jabs at him. They lacked the viciousness of the other boys from their class. "That is true. Also running away from fan girls is great high risk stealth training."

"High risk?"

"Of course, I mean have you ever had to sit down and talk to one of them? They have absolutely nothing important to say, and yet they can't seem to stop talking. It's torture."

"Maybe you should tell that to Ibiki, he's always looking for new and creative interrogation techniques."

Sasuke tilted his head so that he could see the boy on the tree next to his. "Whose Ibiki?"

Blue eyes glanced over to their training companion before quickly returning to the tree bark. "Ibiki is the head of interrogation in Konoha, a real sadistic bastard. He doesn't use poisons or torture machines because he prefers the psychological approach. Ibiki gets inside your head and then he pushes you until you break."

"So he doesn't do any physical torture?"

"No, that's Anko's job. She's a snake user that goes well beyond sadism. The woman has a lust for blood and comes in whenever Ibiki has a nin that just won't crack. Kashi says that when she gets a hold of someone you can hear him screaming out his information every where in Anbu head quarters."

"How do you know these people?" Naruto's life was becoming increasingly interesting to the rather sheltered Uchiha. Even after the massacre he had been held in such high regards that he only had to leave his home for school.

"Well I only know Anko in passing and from what Kashi tells me. You can usually find her at the dango shop. She's real scary though so I wouldn't approach her if I were you. I accidentally made her drop her dango and she chased me all the way home, cussing and throwing kunai."

Sasuke shivered at the idea of this mentally unstable kunoichi. "They let someone like her become a shinobi?"

Naruto laughed. "Ojii-san says that she isn't as bad as she seems. She gets associated with the defect of her sensei and so she puts on a façade so people won't know it gets to her. Besides she's fiercely loyal to Konoha.

"Now Ibiki I have actually met. Before I just knew him by reputation but on the day of our graduation Mizuki turned traitor and Ibiki decided to try something new. He had me use the Kagyaku on him and after that Mizuki agreed to talk. He says I could have a future in interrogation, but it freaked me out to see the look on Mizuki's face when I touched him. I could never do that for a living, besides it's too personal and someone with a strong mind could probably turn it against me."

"So what makes you think that my fan girl troubles could help out with interrogation?"

"I don't know. But just imagine someone coming up to you and saying 'Give up the information now or I will lock you in a room with a hundred rabid fan girls!'"

Sasuke shivered. "Now that's scary." They were both silent for a minute before bursting out in laughter. The image of a hardened criminal screaming to be let out of a room filled with gossiping screaming fan girls, who all bore a resemblance to Ino, was stuck in their heads.

Both boys lost their concentration and fell from the trees. They had both been a few feet from the top, but hadn't noticed their progress due to the amusing conversation.

Everyone met up in the house for lunch. Sakura looked exhausted which was explained when Tazuna told them about her physical training. Kakashi was glad to hear that she had only taken one five minute break every hour. The boys also seemed tired but both were happy to say that they made it to the top of their trees with the extra forty pounds Kakashi had given them. He noticed that both boys seemed more comfortable around each other now.

He was even more shocked when Naruto decided that the table had gotten too quiet and decided to say fan girls. For a moment everyone just looked up in confusion except Sasuke who stared resolutely at his food. That is until the stoic façade finally slipped and he began to snicker. The snicker turned into a chuckle and soon both boys were laughing.

Needless to say Sakura was shocked. She and Ino, along with every other girl in the academy had been trying for years to break through his cold exterior. Here Naruto had managed to do it in one morning. Kakashi was making a mental note that sticking those two together for training yielded remarkable results.

The laughter made little Inari very upset. "Stop it." The two boys made no response to his quiet request. "Stop it! How can you laugh like this when you are all going to die?"

Naruto rolled his eyes in exasperation. Here he was having a great lunch break and this kid has to go and ruin his buzz. "Wow Sasuke we finally found someone even more emo than you."

Sasuke snickered lightly. It had been years since he had honestly laughed and he was loath to stop. "Stop laughing! Don't you understand that Gatou is going to kill all of you?"

Naruto had had about enough of this. He finally gets Sasuke to act like a human and this kid walks in to ruin it all. "We all die eventually kid, and we have grown up being told that, as ninja, we will most likely die by someone else's hand. Most ninja don't make it to middle age, so forgive me for trying to enjoy the time I have on this world."

Inari's eyes filled with tears. "Stop talking like you are so brave and smart. You don't know anything!" With that he ran out of the room crying.

Tsunami stood and quietly began clearing the table. It seemed that a quiet, happy meal was impossible in this house. Tazuna cleared his throat. "Please forgive Inari; he has been through a lot for his age. Gatou killed his father figure Kaiza, crucified him in front of the whole village as an example. All because he was the only one brave enough to stand up for us and fight. Kaiza was a hero in this town and Inari thought he was invincible. He doesn't believe in heroes any more."

Naruto gave a little huff. "Sounds to me like someone needs to knock some sense into that kid."

Kakashi put his hand on Naruto's head. "That isn't our place Naruto. You have to realize that not everyone is as strong as you. Just because you can push emotional trauma to the side and move on with life doesn't mean that others can."

Naruto slumped in irritation. "Which is exactly why those of us who can move on should help others do the same."

"You can't fix everything Naruto. Besides you don't have time to carry the whole world on your shoulders, you have the afternoon shift at the bridge. And no training out there, I don't want you coming back with heat stroke."

Naruto groaned. "You live to torture me don't you Kashi?"

"Normally yes but this afternoon I'm going to have some fun torturing Sakura and Sasuke. Be grateful that I can't do the same to you in the afternoons."

The rest of the day had been pretty dull for Naruto. He watched everyone work, playing the role of stoic ninja body guard for an hour before he caved. He ended up helping the workers with their building once again maintaining that Kakashi didn't need to know. Tazuna agreed to keep his silence because Naruto turned out to be such a good worker.

Mean while Sasuke and Sakura were going through pure hell. Kakashi had them running laps, doing obscene amounts of punches and kicks, and dodging blunt kunai while going through the ninja hand seals as fast as they could. Every time they made a mistake they had to do push ups. The entire time Kakashi was egging them by saying things like "Zabuza just killed you", "You just failed your mission" and "I've put Naruto through way more than this". The last one was always especially effective on Sasuke.

By dinner time they were about ready to pass out. Naruto had spent the last hour of guard duty cleaning up in a river and resting so that Kakashi wouldn't realize he had disobeyed orders. He sat there listening to his teammates telling him about how much of a slave driver Kakashi had been. Naruto of course did not take his forced guard duty as a break. "Man now I'm going to be behind you two because of a stupid thing like heat stroke. Damn blood line screws up everything."

Kakashi shook his head. "You'll be fine Naruto, you aren't going to hold everyone back just for skipping afternoon training sessions."

Naruto suddenly got a sly look on his face. "Especially if you let me make up the difference by training on my own at night."

He received a wry look from his guardian at his bright idea. "I'm not going to let you train at night by yourself. Something could happen and no one will be there to help you and then I'll be down one genin when Zabuza shows up."

"Your concern for me is boundless Kashi."

"I'm just looking out for the mission."

Naruto smirked and pulled something out of his pocket. "How bout this?" He began shuffling a pack of cards worn from years of use. "I'll play you for it. If I win I get to train nights and mornings. If I lose I won't bring up the idea again and take my afternoon guard duty quietly."

The jounin's single eye followed the boy's nimble fingers as they manipulated the worn pieces of paper like a master. He knew better than to bet against Naruto but the sight of the cards flying between his hands was all too tempting. "If I win you also have to stop doing Gai imitations for a week."

Naruto gave a slightly malevolent grin of victory. "All right, seven cards. Aces and suicide kings are wild. You get one chance to draw again." The cards flew across the table to Kakashi as if magnetized, giving everyone the impression that this was a ritual that had been performed many times before.

Tension was high as the two players picked up their hands and looked across the table in silent challenge. Kakashi's visible eye darted from the cards to his student obviously worried about the out come. Naruto however was cool as cucumber looking at his opponent with quiet confidence. Kakashi discarded three cards and drew new ones. Naruto smiled and set down five replacing them.

"Ready Kashi?"

"Oh yeah, there is no way you are beating me this time." He revealed his hand. "Five card straight."

Naruto's face faltered for a second. "Wow Kashi that's a really good hand." Kakashi grinned convinced he had won. "But it looks like the power of youth has won this round." He placed his cards on the table. "Royal Flush."

Kakashi's visible eye widened in shock and what could be seen of his face went pale. "No way, best two out of three!"

"Not a chance, you knew the risk and lost fair and square. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going out to train. THE POWER OF YOUTH PREVAILS!"

Kakashi slammed his head down onto the table in frustration. "This is my punishment for teaching a ten year old kid how to play poker."

Sakura's eyes widened. "You taught him when he was ten?"

"I was a shinobi in my twenties who was suddenly landed with a half grown kid used to living on his own. I had no experience, no help and I had to do something to get rid of the tension. It's not like he was going to respond to the over protective parent figure when he had been taking care of himself his whole life."

"But you corrupted him! People are very impressionable at ten years old and thanks to you he might end up with a gambling problem."

Kakashi couldn't help but laugh. "Sakura, Naruto was corrupted long before I got my hands on him. When the Hokage found him living on the streets and four I didn't know as many cuss words as that kid. Even now he still has a nasty habit of picking pockets when he's hungry and short on cash. Kami knows he's stolen my wallet more times than I can count."

Sasuke choked on his water. "He's a thief?"

"You'd be surprised at the things Naruto does. He only seems innocent and goofy because that's what he wants you to see. When it comes to matters of survival Naruto has almost no conscience. That's what you get when you grow up without anyone to set a good example."

"But both you and the Hokage say he's a good person."

Kakashi nodded. "He is a good person Sasuke. Naruto would never hurt anyone without reason and only steals when he feels he needs it. I've had to kill people in battle. Those people had families, possibly children, but I had to do what was necessary to survive. Does that make me a bad person?"

"I suppose not."

"Sometimes people do bad things for good reasons. It is often very difficult to gauge what is good and evil."

Sakura suddenly looked around the table. "Where is Inari?"

Tsunami's eyes flashed forlornly towards the hall. "He decided to eat in his room tonight. He says that he doesn't want to be around such fools."

Sasuke snorted. "I was wondering why everything was so quiet tonight."

Kakashi glared at him. "Sasuke, show some respect."

The morning sun rose to find Naruto splayed out on his back in the middle of a clearing fast asleep. He had of course overdone it, as was usual for him when he was serious about something.

A feminine figure walked into the clearing, a basket of herbs at their side. Slender and pale hands reached out towards the sleeping boy's vulnerable neck fully prepared to strangle the life out of it. Naruto snorted and the hands hesitated, instead they nudged his shoulder. "You'll catch a cold if you sleep out here."

Naruto's eyes fluttered open at the calming voice to see a very pretty and kind girl. He let out a huge yawn. "Sorry, I must have fallen asleep while training. Thank you for waking me up, if I'm late for breakfast my sensei will kill me."

"So you're a ninja then?"

"Yeah, I guess the whole training comment gave me away. I'm Naruto by the way."

"Haku."

Now that Naruto was awake he began to observe the girl like Kakashi had trained him to do. Taking in every detail, including the slightly evident adams apple. "So what's a guy like you doing out here so early in the morning?"

Haku paused, startled by the thirteen year old boy's choice of words. "So you noticed I'm a boy, impressive."

"I thought you were a girl at first but the adams apple gave you away. I think the choice of pink causes the gender confusion."

"I suppose you're right. I'm out here collecting medicinal herbs for an injured friend."

"Could you use any help Haku?"

The effeminate boy smiled and nodded. As they began plucking the small plants he started up a conversation with the likable Konoha genin. "So why do you train so hard?"

"Right now to protect Tazuna, but on a wider scale to become Hokage and finally earn some respect in my village."

"Do you have any precious people to fight for?"

"Of course I do. There's the Hokage, who got me off the streets and gave me my own apartment. Iruka-sensei and the owners of Ichiraku became my first friends and saved me from my personal hell. And then there's Kakashi who has trained and taken care of me for the last three years. Then there's my teammates and all my friends who make me feel like a normal kid just like them."

Haku smiled softly. "It sounds like you have a lot of people to protect."

"I sure do, and each of them was hard earned. How about you, do you have any precious people?"

"I do indeed. The man who found me on the streets as a child and took me in as his student."

Naruto smiled at the boy. "Sounds like we have a lot in common." He looked at the position of the sun in the sky. "Oh shit, I've gotta go if I want to make it back for breakfast. It was nice talking to you Haku."

Haku watched the boy run off and smiled sadly. "We will meet again soon Naruto-kun. Only next time it won't be as friends. I wish things could have been different. We might have been friends, you and I."

He picked up his basket of herbs and returned to the hut. Returned to Zabuza.

**This one came to me pretty easily. I wanted to fit a poker game into this chapter in some way which caused me to make the bet. After I had Naruto practically con Kakashi to get what he wanted that got me to thinking about how he survived on his own, leading to the pick pocket idea. I always felt that Naruto should have a few more fox like characteristics and being a bit of a thief works. After I got him outside at night it was easy to bring in the thing with Haku.**

**The only reason why I had Naruto figure out that Haku was male on his own is because so many people are confused by his gender. The last thing I wanted to do was increase confusion by calling him she until the very end. That is what you get when you try to work with a he/she.**

**Thank you so much to: HawkofNavarre (I always need more reviews, they inspire me to write more and get more comments and sometimes I even get ideas), Zessei (the only other person I have seen use this idea never finished the story so I adapted it to my liking and continued), Silverblade219 (I honestly hadn't thought of any of that stuff, but now I am. I took Psych my first semester, it sucks.), Hououza (I wonder that too), The Sun of Logan and Ororo (I never even thought of the effect he might have on animals and summons. I really like your idea and will do my best to use it), wilkandrakar (I'm really glad I got to hear from you, especially about the trophy idea. I think the reason I'm good at capturing the emotion is that I'm an empath. I've been listening to my friend's problems and feelings since I was five. Thank you very much for your comments.), Terra ace (Gaara jumps out of the shadows and attacks you ruthlessly, with hugs and kisses ), Amei-chan, Boejangles, narsaksas (no one can be a cold bastard all the time), MiseryLuvsDeath aka Fidele, HinduGoddess, rickp2006 (Sasuke feels better because Naruto is still having trouble after 3 years), Denim88 (I'm so glad that I made you freak out about something, and I figure as long as it's a fanfic I might as well right some wrongs in this world. I plan on starting your stories this weekend.), ZenNoMai (I'm so sorry I missed you last time! I feel so bad.), Darkide (I love your choice of movie quotes and I figure that the characters are great the way they are so I don't want to change them too much.), teamkyubi13 (well it is a NaruSaku story actually and the early bonding develops the characters, sets up the romance and satisfies the readers who want fluff.), Bubblegumcrazed, amused4ever (writing a long string of details bores me, I hate reading it and hate writing it. Dialogue on the other hand is active because people only speak when they want something. I'm an actress so that suits me but I'll try to put in more detail for you), Starlight – Wild Koneko, Jho, kagekitsune49 (action scenes are hard), ShivaVixen (enter Haku I'm kind of proud of doing it this way), Chris Robins (I'm glad you like it and I'm trying to get people to react with each step they take towards each other. I don't know how far I'm going to take it yet), Radioactive-man (I'm sorry you stayed up so late, I do the same thing all the time.), Kyuubi-Sama, missing-nin class-S, DarkRavie, HoshitheHorse (I thought that would be a nice touch), likes a good story (I'd like to take it that far, and I haven't read his profile but now I'm gonna), FISHY CRACKERS, spedclass, Gnosismaster (I don't feel comfortable writing a lemon since I have no experience in that area, if I get enough requests I might try one separate from the story so not everyone has to read it.), Katana King (I've never been called a genius before).**

**Wow that was a lot of responses. So much typing should not be done in one day. I'm going to go now but please tell me how I did on this chapter.**

**Ja ne**

**Yooso**


	12. Chapter 12

**I'm glad everyone was so pleased with the fast update. Between classes and dressing up like a pirate for national talk like a pirate day I was lucky to find the time to write this one. It jumps around a lot more than my other chapters but it is difficult to create suspense when everyone basically knows what's going to happen.**

**Even though I still don't own Naruto I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as the previous eleven.**

Human Contact

The next several days were spent in the same manner the only difference being whether Sasuke or Sakura took morning guard. Naruto's night time training sessions went well also, although he was sure to get back to the house in time to sleep. The scolding he received from Kakashi that first morning was hardly worth the trouble.

Inari had pretty much retreated to his room during meal times much to the dismay of his mother. Other then that everything had been fine for the Konoha ninja. As they gathered around the dinner table on the sixth day Inari joined them again. His mother had refused to serve his meals in his room that day and the hunger finally got to him. He sat at the table, sulking quietly.

Kakashi had recovered well by this point and had spent the day stretching out sore muscles and getting rid of kinks. He looked around the table. Sasuke was busy working on his second helping of food while Sakura chattered merrily with Tsunami about girl stuff. Naruto who had already inhaled four helpings sat with his head on the table, content to rest before his evening training.

"I'm very proud of the progress you three have made this week, but I'm afraid we've run out of time for preparation. Tomorrow all four of us will be at the bridge with Tazuna. He's reached the final stretch and Gatou's probably getting desperate, not to mention that if I'm better there is no doubt that Zabuza has recovered too."

Naruto looked up at his sensei with a lazy cast to his blue eyes. "No matter. We've all gotten a lot stronger this week. Between the four of us we should have no problem taking care of both Gatou and Zabuza."

Inari's fist clenched. Tsunami saw the movement and knew that trouble was brewing. "Why? Why do you work so hard for a fight you can't win?"

Naruto growled in irritation, this kid was getting on his last nerve. "Who says we can't win. What are you psychic, because you seem pretty sure of your predictions."

"I don't need to be psychic. I've seen what Gatou can do. You have no idea what it's like. You run around believing that everything will turn out fine and good will always win, but it doesn't! You have no idea what pain and suffering is!"

That was the last straw. He moved so fast that even Kakashi couldn't stop him from leaping across the table. He threw his hand out to hit the startled little boy but stopped centimeters from his face. It was then that the others realized his skin was exposed. They all tensed, terrified at what he was going to do, and preparing to drag him off the little boy.

"I've been through things that a little brat like you couldn't even imagine! If I were to touch you right now your mind would probably shatter from my memories. Don't tell me that I don't know what pain is when I've lived through it my entire life!

"So you lost your father, big deal! You still have people that love and care about you. He died as a hero and you should respect that, not wallow in your own self pity! Not when others have it so much worse!"

His fingers twitched menacingly as he glared at the terrified boy before him. "You should be proud that your father died trying to protect you and the people of this village. Stop acting like a martyr because people who give up and cry don't deserve the life they are given." He clenched his naked hand now centimeters from the boy's face.

Kakashi was about to get up and restrain his student when the fist returned to his side. "I'm going out to train, I'll see you all in the morning." Everyone could only watch in silence as he disappeared into the night. 

Inari fell to his knees his wide eyes dry for once. Sakura put a comforting hand on the trembling boy. "Don't worry Inari, Naruto didn't mean that."

"Yes he did." Everyone's attention snapped to Kakashi. "I've never seen Naruto get so close to losing control like that. He meant every word."

The small boy finally began to cry again. "Why would he say something like that to me?"

"You have to understand that Naruto is a fighter Inari. He has spent his entire life alone and surrounded by people that wanted him to give up and die. Despite everything he kept going, he survived against all odds. Before he developed the Kagyaku I saw him beaten, spat at, and starved and now he can't touch people without hurting them; yet through all that I never once saw him cry. I think he just realized that the only thing tears achieved were wet cheeks. So listening to someone like you, who has given up despite still having so much, tell him that he should give up and run drives him crazy."

Kakashi stood and walked toward the door. "We will be at the bridge with Tazuna tomorrow morning and we will do everything in our power to win." He went to his room without another word. 

Sasuke watched all this with a look of incredulity. "That is the first time he didn't ruin the moment by saying something stupid at the end."

Kakashi's head popped back in as if he had been waiting for it. "I may not have but you just did." As he pulled his head back around the corner he couldn't help but grin at the sound of both his students smacking themselves in the forehead. His job was officially done for the night.

Naruto ran into his usual training clearing his breath labored. He ripped off his gloves and mask, throwing the articles on the ground in frustration. He raked his fingers through his soft blond hair as he let out a huge sigh.

Blue eyes stared up at the night sky anger and regret fighting for dominance in their depths. The guilt was horrible. Sure he hadn't actually touched Inari but he had wanted to. He wanted to push his own horrible experiences onto someone who already had trouble dealing with his own issues.

He came to the conclusion that the only thing he could do was work of his frustration. He created a horde of clones and they all began running up trees over and over again. After an hour he realized that it wasn't enough so he and all his clones began a titanic battle on the ground.

Naruto was so preoccupied with his one man brawl he failed to notice a shadow lingering in the trees. As more and more Narutos disappeared the clearing was filled with smoke until one very tired one remained. That was when the shadow attacked. A senbon needle flew out of the surrounding darkness and buried itself in his shoulder. Naruto jumped as the sharp metal bit into his flesh. He pulled the needle out and studied it but before he could begin searching for the thrower he felt a powerful weariness overtake him.

On some level Naruto knew that something was wrong, knew he needed to stay awake. But the toxin on the thin projectile had been potent and despite his fighting he found himself slowly sinking towards the ground. Then everything went dark as he drifted off into a dreamless drug induced sleep.

Haku walked into the clearing and looked at the young boy that was so like him. "I'm sorry Naruto but your blood line is a variable that I can't allow on the battle field tomorrow. The poison I gave you should wear off in a few days."

He placed his hand on the sleeping boy's forehead but jerked it back immediately. In that second of contact he had been bombarded with images and feelings of pain and sadness. He saw what the boy had almost done and felt the horrible self loathing that had been weighing him down. "So even when unconscious your power remains. Interesting."

Haku left the clearing, he needed to prepare for the battle to come.

Kakashi and the others sat around eating breakfast the next morning. Inari had refused to come out of his room again although the lack of sobbing seemed a good sign. Sakura was getting antsy, not only was Zabuza expected to show up sometime soon but she hadn't seen nor heard Naruto since last night's dinner escapade.

The one eyed jounin noticed her discomfort. "Don't worry Sakura everything will be fine. I won't let any of my team members die."

Sakura sighed as she set down her fork, too nervous to finish her breakfast. Her stomach was busy doing acrobatics and throwing up before a possible battle did not appeal to her. "It's not just that. Naruto didn't come back last night and he knows that things could get bad today."

Kakashi understood all too well. He was troubled by Naruto's irresponsibility too but he refused to let his subordinates see that. "Naruto was upset when he left last night. He probably just overdid it and fell asleep outside. He'll know where we are when he gets back and join us."

Sasuke could tell what Kakashi was doing and decided to help. After all Sakura would be no use to them if she was a nervous wreck over Naruto. "That stupid dobe will probably show up yelling at us for leaving without him. There's no way he'd miss a possible fight."

Sakura laughed lightly at that. She never thought that Sasuke would be one to try and make her feel better. "You're probably right Sasuke. I don't know why I was so worried. Naruto can take care of himself, and there is no way he'd let us have all the fun."

Sasuke's lips twitched slightly in the hint of a smile but he quickly masked it. He didn't want people to think that he was going soft. Kakashi stood up and stretched. "Well I think it's high time we head out. Tazuna-san's bridge isn't going to build itself."

The four walked out the door leaving Tsunami to clean up. She placed all the dishes in the sink and started washing, humming a soft tune as she worked. The noise in the kitchen masked to sound of the door opening and stealthy foot steps. She didn't notice that someone had entered the house until she felt cold steal rest against the side of her throat.

"Scream and you can say goodbye to your pulse."

Naruto woke up to find himself lying in the clearing. His eyelids felt like sandpaper as he forced them open groaning as the bright sun temporarily blinded him and increased his headache. His mouth was dry and it was difficult to move, as if his muscles refused to respond to the commands of his brain.

He couldn't remember what made him fall asleep. His finger gave an involuntary twitch making him aware of the thin piece of metal under his hand. Taking much more thought than it should have he was able to fold his hand around the steal and pull it towards his face. Seeing the senbon reminded him that he had been hit with it before he blacked out. He took an experimental sniff at the weapon. His nose detected something sweet, poison probably homemade.

Either the maker was not well versed in the art or they had not been trying to kill him. But why would they only put him to sleep? If only his mind wasn't so foggy, then he'd be able to figure out this puzzle. His stomach grumbled in irritation reminding him that he hadn't eaten since the previous night.

He winced at the memory of dinner. He had almost touched Inari on purpose, but Kakashi had been telling them something before that. He growled in anger, the drug was definitely pulling a number on his head. He looked at the needle in his hand and suddenly it hit him. It was as if a wind had blown the fog right out of his head.

The hunter nin working with Zabuza had used senbon needles to incapacitate his partner. He must have attacked Naruto with the poisonous weapon to keep him from going to the bridge today. He immediately sat up finding movement much easier now. "The bridge!"

Naruto pushed himself onto his feet grabbed his mask and gloves and began running back to the house, his movements growing more fluid with each step. He vaguely pondered why the enemy ninja hadn't killed him but pushed it aside in the urgency of the situation. He wouldn't have been attacked if something wasn't going to happen today. It was a long shot but if he was lucky the others hadn't left yet and he could warn them of the danger.

When Tazuna arrived at the bridge with his bodyguards it was to find the few men brave enough to stay with him until the end lying there dead. A group of ten water clones surrounded them. Sasuke trembled slightly as he looked into the multiple faces of Zabuza waiting for Kakashi to give him the go ahead.

"So Kakashi you still decided to bring along the kiddies. They must be very strong for you to bring them here. Let's take a look at these powerful shinobi. We have a little girl, obviously lacking in stamina. And here's a little boy who can't seem to stop shaking. Oh, but where is the third? I'm surprised he isn't here, after all you two seemed so close and he did so well in our last encounter. You wouldn't happen to know what happened to him Haku?"

The hunter nin appeared next to the tall man. "That particular nuisance has been taken care of Zabuza-sama. I assure you he will not be showing up to save the day this time around."

Sakura gasped tears coming to her eyes. Naruto was dead? It just didn't seem possible.

Kakashi's fist clenched. Seeing the signal Sasuke decided to take out his own anguish on the clones. Kunai in hand he charged at the surrounding bodies. They were decimated within seconds leaving nothing but a ring of water.

Zabuza laughed. "So it seems the talent in your group is not centered around one individual. Go and play with the little speed demon Haku. You've earned a little fun."

The boy nodded. "Yes Zabuza-sama." He disappeared reappearing only to attack Sasuke. Sakura was about to go and help the dark haired boy when Kakashi stopped her.

"Sasuke is the only one who can compete with his speed Sakura. What you need to do right now is cover Tazuna. If you leave he will be open for attack." He uncovered his other eye and turned toward the demon of the mist. "I'll take care of Zabuza."

The tall man laughed at the sight of the red eye. "You really think your little parlor trick is going to work on me twice Kakashi? Haku is a genius at breaking down the abilities of others and he was watching our whole fight. He was able to tell me an effective way to counter your little eye." He created the thick mist he seemed so fond of using. "Now your late student, his ability posed a bit of a problem. Haku couldn't figure out how to negate his power beyond avoiding contact, and that would make fighting rather irritating. That's why I had Haku eliminate the problem."

Kakashi wanted nothing more than to run and search for the boy he had taken care of for the past three years, but now was not the time. He had trained Naruto well and he had to trust in his student's ability to survive. Even if Naruto had died he knew the boy would have wanted him to succeed in this mission and take down his killers.

"Do you really think this old trick is going to stop my sharengan? I proved during our last fight that my eyes can pierce even the thickest mist."

He could hear Zabuza's laughter all around him. "That may be true…" He attacked and Kakashi was only just able to dodge the lethal strike. As Zabuza disappeared once again he noticed something that made his blood run cold. His eyes were not open. "But what if I can't see you?"

Meanwhile on the other side of the bridge Sasuke was giving Haku a run for his money. Hand to hand combat was proving useless against the boy and they ended up with a stalemate. Weapon against weapon neither one ably to gain ground.

Sasuke smirked. "Looks like we're even."

"Not quite, with your arm occupied I have the advantage." Sasuke was about to question when his opponent began making one handed seals. He was only just able to dodge the hundreds of ice senbon needles that flew from the water around them.

"Stand down, I do not want to kill you."

"Like I'd ever do that. The only way I'm going to die in this fight is if I take you with me."

The masked ninja tilted his head slightly. "Why so determined? Surely this lowly bridge builder is not worth dieing for."

"I'm not doing this for Tazuna. I'm doing this for Naruto, the boy you took care of last night and my best friend!"

"So you want revenge?"

"No. Naruto would have finished this mission at all costs, and I will honor his memory by doing the same."

"Then I have no choice but to get serious with you." Haku made some quick hand signs and the water around them moved again. Only this time it didn't turn into senbon but mirrors. They surrounded both boys like a cage, blocking out the outside world. Sasuke watched in silent awe as Haku stepped into one of the mirrors as if it wasn't solid. Suddenly his image was reflected into all the other mirrors.

Sasuke got into a defensive stance. He didn't know what kind of technique this was but if this boy had taken down Naruto then it was sure to be something big. "Bring on your worst. I won't lose to someone like you."

Tsunami had never been so terrified in her entire life. Even if her attacker hadn't threatened her she doubted she could have made a sound. "Mommy?" Her mind screamed out for Inari not to come into the kitchen, to stay in the hallway or go back to his room.

The problem with screaming something in your mind is that most people do not have telepathic abilities. Inari walked into the room and froze as he saw the position his mother was in.

Seeing the terrified look on her son's face brought her power of speech back. "Inari run!"

The man behind her grabbed her arm and forced her onto her knees turning her so that his sword went across her neck. Inari couldn't move, he had already seen his father killed before his eyes and now he was watching the same thing happen to his mother.

He was about to break down and start crying when an image of Naruto flashed into his head. The small boy's stance became much more defiant, he wasn't about to lie down and let these people take another of his loved ones. "LET GO OF MY MOM YOU LOW LIFE SCUM!"

The man with Inari's mom simply grinned while his partner laughed. "Looks like the little kid wants to pick a fight."

"Inari don't worry about me and run!"

"You aren't going to take my mom away from me!"

The hostage free thug pulled out his sword. It was large and heavy signifying that he was either, stupid and likely to miss his target or compensating for something. Inari of course did not know this; all he saw was a very large and dangerous sword. "We only need one hostage you know. How bout I kill this one for fun."

"No!" Tsunami tried to jerk forward and protect her son but her captor tightened his grip on her arm pulling her back. "Leave him alone and I'll go quietly."

The apparent leader shook his head at his partner. "You heard the lady, the kid lives. Gatou will be much happier with a cooperative hostage."

The large thug grudgingly returned his sword to its sheath and they both turned towards the door dragging Tsunami with them. Inari wasn't about to just let them go with one of the only people he had left so he grabbed a plate from the sink and threw it as hard as he could towards the hired muscle.

It hit the big one on the head. Unfortunately the too stupid theory proved true as the plate caused little damage to his thick skull. But it did bring both men's attention back to the little boy. "I said let her go!"

The leader sighed in irritation. "Go ahead and kill the brat."

The big man smiled as he pulled out his sword again. Inari closed his eyes in fear as the large man charged. He could hear his mother screaming out his name as if from a distance, but the clang of metal meeting metal sounded all too near.

He opened his eyes to see Naruto standing in front of him blocking the sword with a kunai. "Hey Inari you did a really great job. Because of you I was able to get your mom out of that guy's hands."

The other samurai looked at the woman in his arms only for her to turn into one of Naruto's shadow clones who waved happily and then disappeared. "Dammit what did you do with her kid?"

Naruto smirked under his mask as he continued to hold off the larger man with his tiny little knife. A feat that he knew was pissing off his opponent. "Now why would I tell you that when I just went through the trouble of rescuing her?"

"Because if you don't we'll kill you."

Naruto pushed the large sword off as if it was nothing. Three years of conditioning with Kakashi had taught him that the body could do amazing things with hard work and the common sense to use the whole thing.

He playfully tossed his kunai up into the air and caught as he enjoyed the shock on the robust samurai's face. "Hasn't a woman ever told you that it's not the size of your sword that matters but how you use it?" He received no reply as the man just glared at him. "Oh, I get it. You must not perform well."

The large man charged at him, anger flashing in his eyes. Naruto through his weapon, which buried into the large man's thigh, this caused him to slow down considerably. Taking advantage of the weakness Naruto lunged forward and ducked under a wild swing. He jabbed his palm into the kunai making it slice through more muscle and jab into the bone painfully, then he went for a leg sweep bringing the large man down.

He stood up and faced the leader, stepping on the wounded man's arm when he tried to raise his weapon. "Now let's look at this again. We have two second rate swordsmen, one of which is injured, against a ninja from Konoha who has been training for seven years. Your chances don't look good."

The smaller samurai charged, though he showed much more skill than his partner. Naruto swayed to the side of his thrust and blocked the sword with the metal plate on his glove. Then gathering chakra to his palm he gave a quick palm strike to his opponent chest blowing him backwards. The samurai lay on his back gasping for air.

Naruto leaned over him his eyes sparkling with glee that his idea had actually worked. "Have you ever seen what too much chakra can do to a tree? It blows the bark clean off blasting the ninja back. This is what I just did to you. Hurts don't it? I imagine that a few ribs were broken in that shot along with a few very painful burns."

The beaten samurai tried to force himself up only for his nose to have a rather intimate encounter with Naruto's fist. He was instantly knocked out cold no chakra necessary.

Tsunami walked out from behind a tree and ran towards Inari. She hugged him to her chest rubbing his back to comfort him, but this time he wasn't crying. He was watching Naruto create a couple shadow clones to tie the samurai up to a tree.

He walked over to the small boy who looked down ashamed that he had been unable to do anything. Naruto placed his gloved hand on Inari's head and smiled. The little boy was shocked by the all encompassing warmth that came with one of Naruto's smiles and he looked into the sparkling blue eyes.

"You did a great job today Inari. You stood up to two men you knew you couldn't beat and fought for your precious people. You're turning into a strong young man and one day soon you'll be able to protect all the people you care about."

He pressed a kunai into the young boy's hand. "Every man needs a weapon to defend the people he cares about. Now I want you to stay here and make sure that nothing happens to your mom. I'm going to the bridge to help out my friends."

With that said he shot off toward his destination. He prayed to Kami that he reached his team before anything bad happened. He didn't know what he would do if one of them died.

**I'm actually quite proud of this chapter. It was difficult to write what with all the scene jumps. I think that they really add to the suspense. I also had a lot of fun with all those sword jokes. It's only when I write things down that I realize just how awful my sense of humor is, but there is nothing funnier than making a guy insecure about his man hood. Like I always say there is no such thing as a masculine man, only an insecure one.**

**Thank you so much to: narsaksas (I'm flattered that I helped anyone survive the horrors of math class), nitrous, quivering quill (I tried to make her more like she is in shipuuden), Lady Silverhawk, wilkandrakar (it is shown in the anime that Naruto is extremely lucky at gambling I just expanded on it, and he had to have someway of getting money before he became a ninja), Twilight-Phantom66, HinduGoddess (I'm glad you appreciated my poker game and Kakashi's pride), Silverblade219 (I already have an idea for Naruto's hidden skills in the chuunin exams and I must say it's rather brilliant), Amei-chan (now you see, I did not know that, I'm glad the game worked for you I tried to make it convincing), missing-nin class-S (does poisoning work for you?), Hououza (Sakura seems more distant because she's never had to question who she liked before), ShivaVixen (I will try to make my horrible action scenes live up to your expectations next chapter), spedclass, Bubblegumcrazed (Naruto was wearing what he always wears, besides judging by the fashion sense in that show it accepted that ninja are rather eccentric people), DarkRavie, fmalover478, ZenNoMai (I notice all my reviewers it's just easy for one to fall through the cracks when I have so many names to type up. There will be more emotional moments when the action slows down. I don't believe that people consciously sort through their emotions when in a stressful or dangerous situation.), snowecat (I'm not sure yet if his power will effect anything on the bridge. The great thing about this story is that it isn't the power that's so interesting but the way it changes his life. One little detail can change an entire world like dominos), JadedDiamond (maybe I did mean to and you just don't know it? Maybe it is my purpose in life to make other people feel better with my work? Or then again maybe not. Glad it made you feel better), rickp2006 (The scolding had to come at specific time for me), frogger666 (I'm not sure if I can change that in a believable way, but I can try. I assure that if I do kill them off it will be a beautiful moment though), Denim88 (I haven't finished your second story yet, and even though I don't care for changing points of view I've found both really enjoyable so far. I'll send you a real review when I've finished but for now I'd like to say thanks. I wasn't so sure how people were going to take the real friendship approach but I did base it off of a bunch of my friendships which involve lots of insults and wit. I actually talk like that to my dad and thought it would fit them really well), Tim (with my overactive imagination I don't think you'll be seeing me running out of ideas soon.), MiseryluvsDeath aka Fidele, jere7782 (I considered it but touching an innocent boy just didn't seem Naruto to me), Katana King (I think my writing style came from people telling me I wasn't good. I've always been the girl who can make up an entire story on the spot, so I just started writing the way I think. I just have to read it a few times before letting it out), LonewolfBloodstorm (good idea but I don't really want Naruto dependent on armor, also I'm more about development than action so such armor would be wasted on my action scenes), Krymsom, Traekor (thank you for the complement. I really like the characters and changing them too much just seems wrong to me.), FreeTheKyuubi (You never cease to make me laugh. Spice girls brings me back to highschool, we always played it in the dressing room before shows. Partly because it was fun and partly because it drove the boys nuts), Boejangles, likes a good story (I loved his profile thanks for telling me. I don't know how I got that chapter out so fast it just kind of came to me.), HawkofNavarre (I hate when people gender bend him, as if he isn't confusing enough already. Personally I think he's a hermaphrodite because that just fixes everything), Gnosismaster (eventually but I doubt it will be any time soon), Kyuubi-Sama.**

**Thank you all for your reviews but I have one more shout out before I go. I was typing up all the names when this person popped up and I don't want another ZenNoMai incident so thanks to Nosferatum (I hesitate to deviate from the cannon because the small changes are what makes it interesting but that may happen further down the line.)**

**Ja ne**

**Yooso **


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm so sorry for the wait on this chapter. First I had a theatre history test and then I had a project due and then a group speech to work on. On top of all that I got caught with writers block.**

**Even though I have about five papers to work on, two tests to study for, a painting to finish, a play to go see, and an impending visit from my mother I couldn't bring myself to keep you all waiting. I hope you all like this chapter even though I'm not too sure of it.**

Human Contact

When Naruto finally arrived at the bridge it was to see it covered in an ominous layer of fog. At this time of day it was obvious what that meant. He ran toward the bridge at full speed using all the stealth that Kakashi had been able to teach him. Sure he couldn't mask his chakra but with the saturation in the area nobody would notice.

The fog was just as stifling as it had been the first time and he had to push his senses to their limit. He skirted the battle field not wanting to stumble into something blind. That was how Kakashi used to trounce him in training exercises so the habit was beaten out of him very quickly.

The only people who didn't seem to be doing anything at the moment were Sakura and Tazuna. No doubt Kakashi had stationed her to make sure nothing bad happened. He carefully slipped up behind until he could see her reasonably well, then pulling out a kunai he slid it across the ground.

The metal scraping across concrete caught the pink haired girl's attention making her turn, kunai poised for defense. Her eyes went from the weapon to Naruto and she almost screamed in relief but stopped herself in view of the circumstances. The boy slid up beside her.

She was about to throw her arms around him when better sense kicked in. "Wait how do I know it's really you and not some ninja sent by Gatou?" Her kunai was now resting rather uncomfortably against his throat.

The boy sighed knowing what he had to do. "I only need three words to prove who I am Sakura-chan. Bright orange boxers." He watched her cheeks light up like fire as the memory of him answering the door flashed through her head. Pushing it aside she removed her weapon and threw her arms around the short boy giving him a tight hug.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again! Zabuza said that boy Haku took care of you. We all thought you were dead."

Naruto slowly pulled himself out of the pink haired girl's arms not used to such signs of affection. He gave the startled Tazuna a quick nod before explaining himself. "Haku did take care of me. He hit me with a senbon covered in some sleeping drug while I was training. I would probably still be out if it wasn't for my healing factor. Now catch me up on what's going on here."

Sakura took a deep breath to compose herself, she felt drained from the emotional roller coaster she had been on ever since this day started. "When we arrived Zabuza and that Haku guy had already taken out all the workers. Now Zabuza is facing off against Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke is fighting Haku."

Naruto nodded as he took everything in. "Okay, Kakashi can take care of himself so I'm going to go and check on Sasuke. I want you and Tazuna to edge closer to his fight as well. That way if anything goes wrong you can cover me with weapons while still protecting him."

Sakura nodded in understanding. She couldn't even begin to describe how relieved she was that he had shown up. Not only had she received confirmation that he was alive and well but he had also given her something to do. She knew that it was important to cover Tazuna, but she felt so useless standing there while her sensei and teammate fought.

Naruto ran towards Sasuke's battle but stopped when the dome of ice mirrors came into view. He had never seen anything like it before. Standing in the middle of the whole thing, looking more like a pincushion than a person at this point, was Sasuke. He definitely seemed the worse for wear but his eyes were what drew Naruto in the most. Two red eyes, one with a single black tomoe the other with two, were flitting about the battle field following something Naruto could not see.

Sasuke was exhausted. The sharingan eyes that he had managed to activate halfway through the fight had been a great help but his body could no longer keep up. Needles stuck out from tender joints making movement difficult and his new eyes were taking up more chakra than expected. It was a miracle that he was still standing, but he refused to give up.

Haku knew that Sasuke would not last much longer and was quite content to wait it out. True the Uchiha was impressive but he had only just activated his bloodline where as Haku had been honing his skills for years. He raised his senbon prepared for another throw when he was forced to block a kunai aimed from the outside.

At first he thought it had been the little girl of the group but the flit of black that faded back into the mist changed his mind. As Haku's attention was on the mysterious shadow he failed to notice that he had left his body sticking halfway out of his mirror. Sasuke was all too willing to take advantage of the opening.

Forming the necessary hand seals he performed the first katon technique he learned. Unfortunately the need all genin seem to have for yelling out jutsu alerted his opponent just in time. Haku turned to see the giant fireball coming toward him and quickly returned to the safety of his mirror throwing some senbon at his target through the flames.

Haku was not quite fast enough to completely avoid the attack, receiving some rather painful burns on his arm. Unfortunately for Sasuke the needles were impossible to dodge in the weakness after a jutsu. They buried deep into his neck and suddenly the world seemed to be slipping away from him. As he fell toward the ground he got the distinct feeling of floating before landing in someone's arms.

Sasuke looked up to see that only a pair of blue eyes were in focus. "I'm sorry I couldn't take him with me Naruto, but I did my best and I know that's all that matters to you." Everything faded into blackness as his eyes closed, his cheeks loosing what little color they had.

Tears streamed down Naruto's face as he watched one of his few friends die just when he was finally starting to reach him. It wasn't fair; Sasuke shouldn't have died before he was able to achieve his dreams no matter how twisted they were.

Haku stood in his mirror nursing his burnt arm and watching the mourning ninja. Training told him to kill the boy while he was distracted but the human feelings that he could never quite kill wouldn't allow it. "He fought hard to complete the mission in your honor, thinking that I killed you."

That voice brought Naruto crashing back to the real world. A world filled with the pain and sadness that ruled his life. Anger filled him as he looked at the dead face of Sasuke. "Why?" His own wild chakra began to spill out of his body, manifesting around him and saturating the air with his pain and sorrow. "Why did you have to take away one of the few precious people I have managed to attain in this miserable life?"

Haku couldn't feel the boy's torment like he had when touching his face but he could feel the emotions raging through Naruto. It was almost like killing intent, but at the same time so much more.

Naruto looked up at the blank mask that hid the face of his best friend's murderer. Something inside him snapped as he looked at that cold, uncaring shield. It was so much more powerful than what he had felt when he almost attacked Inari and this time he made no attempt to control the urge. The chakra whipping violently around him went through a dramatic change at Naruto's surrender to instinct.

The already formidable power tripled in size and took on an evil and violent shade of red. Haku's eyes widened behind his mask as he watched Naruto's posture change, becoming more animalistic. Angry red began to leek into those once innocent blue eyes. The warrior standing before him was no longer Naruto; this boy was a predator preparing to take down its prey.

Outside the dome all action ceased as even Tazuna was able to sense the awful chakra that invaded the space. Sakura's eyes widened as she could just see the red glow from the battle Naruto had just joined. Grabbing the bridge builder's arm she continued her slow approach, now even more wary.

On the opposite side of the bridge the two jounin froze at the sheer power and anger of the chakra. Zabuza had never felt anything like it and was now more desperate to finish Kakashi off. The scarecrow on the other hand couldn't help but relax a little. He was of course terrified of what this chakra could mean but he also knew that only one person could possibly wield that power. Naruto was alive. "Looks like your partner wasn't as successful in taking care of Naruto as you thought."

Zabuza scoffed. "I'll admit that kid of yours was strong, but there is no way a lowly genin could have so much chakra."

"Naruto is not like other genin. As he is now he is more of a demon than you could ever hope to be."

Sick of hearing Kakashi's lies Zabuza hefted his huge sword and prepared for his final attack on the weakened copy cat. He had already landed several hits but this one would finish the job. However knowing of his student's survival revived Kakashi and he pulled out a scroll spreading some blood across the kanji. He slammed the scroll onto the ground ready to perform one of his pre-sharingan attacks. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

While this was going on Haku was having a lot of trouble with Naruto. It seemed not to matter how many senbon he threw. All of them were simply ejected from the boy's skin and the wounds healed over. Worse was that Naruto seemed able to pinpoint his real position now. He switched mirrors to avoid a charge only for the boy to follow his movements, appearing in front of him and smashing his unbreakable ice mirror like glass.

Haku plunged down on Naruto from one of the pieces but his attack was evaded. Some sixth sense seemed to have clued Naruto in on his intentions as he flipped out of the way just in time. Before Haku even knew what was going on Naruto had grabbed his arm nearly popping it out the socket as he dragged the ice user to his feet. Haku tried desperately to counter act the chakra that was searing at his already burnt arm but to no avail. He watched in fear as the now feral boy slammed a fist into his face breaking the mask he wore.

The sheer force behind that punch was enough to lift Haku into the air and send him flying back several feet skidding to a halt as he hit the ground. His ears rang as he slowly pushed himself off the ground ready to meet his fate. It was painfully obvious that he was no match for an enraged Naruto. From the corner of his eye he saw the boy ripping of his mask and gloves. The blond hair was even wilder and his face had become feral and dangerous elongated canines bared for the world to see. His hands which had already been so dangerous to begin with now sported claws that would obviously rip through flesh like butter.

Gone was the kind sunny boy he had meat in the woods. This Naruto was a predator bent on the total annihilation of the threat to his friends. Haku, resigned to his fate, turned to face his executioner. Naruto froze mid attack when he saw the familiar face of his victim. For the first time since his surrender to instinct he felt conflicted, the human and animal within him fighting for dominance.

Sakura had reached the fight just in time to see Naruto break Haku's mask with a titanic punch. At first she had been thrilled but as she watched her teammate remove his gloves and masks she was struck with terror. This was not her Naruto, this was not the kind face of her friend. This Naruto was not only willing but bent on killing the fake hunter nin, which was made clear as he went in for another attack. She was about to scream when she saw him stop. She could tell he was now fighting an inner battle which she hoped the real Naruto would win.

"Please kill me. I've lost and am no longer of use to Zabuza-sama. We have a lot in common Naruto and if you ever saw me as a friend you would do me this one favor. I killed Sasuke so it is only right that you should kill me."

Sakura felt like crying when she heard of Sasuke's death but she pushed it aside when she saw the feral Naruto ready to grant the request. "Naruto!"

Again he froze, red eyes darting between Sakura and Haku. Tears began to spill from his eyes as blue pushed back the poison red and his features returned to normal. He let his fist connect with Haku's cheek once more letting the boy feel his anguish at losing a friend.

He stood over Haku's fallen body allowing the tears to continue falling although his face was no longer contorted with sadness. "I should have known it was you the minute Sakura told me your name. Under different circumstances we may have been friends but I cannot grant you your wish. Kill yourself if you want to, but I won't let you put the weight of your death on my conscience."

The sound of birds chirping permeated the air and the feeling of chakra being gathered for a large jutsu was obvious. Haku nodded his understanding and thanks as he quickly created an ice mirror and disappeared into it, fully intent on saving his master's life.

Zabuza stood on the bridge locked in place by the powerful jaws of Kakashi's nin dogs. He knew his end had finally come as Kakashi rushed him, his attack so powerful that the chakra was visible. The ice mirror that appeared before him came as a welcome shock but he knew that it would not stand up to the Raikiri. He heard the sickening squelch of pierced flesh but felt no pain. Standing before him was the ever faithful Haku his right shoulder impaled by Kakashi's arm.

The other two remaining ninja ran through the slowly clearing mist to see the horrible scene. Before them stood a shocked Kakashi held in place by the injured boy hanging on his arm and the large sword of Zabuza poised to strike through them both.

Naruto rushed forward his speed aided by the chakra pushed into his legs. In an act of desperation he pushed Kakashi and subsequently Haku out of the way. The large and dangerous sword sliced across his chest giving him a shallow but painful wound. Just as Zabuza was about to kill the brat that spoiled his plans the sound of clapping distracted him.

He looked up to see Gatou with a horde of henchmen at his back walk out of the last strands of mist. "You performed better than expected Zabuza. With all of you ninja so weak my men will have no problem disposing of all of you." His eyes locked on the prone form of Haku gasping in pain on the ground.

A vicious grin swept across his face as he kicked the boy's injured shoulder. "This will teach you to mess with me you little brat!" He seemed to be taking great pleasure in Haku's screams of agony.

Naruto growled his blue eyes showering the Demon of the Mist with accusation. "Are you really going to stand here doing nothing? Haku gave you everything and now your just going let Gatou torture him!"

"Shut up and lend me a kunai kid." Naruto grinned as he tossed a kunai that Zabuza caught in his now bandage free mouth.

"If you can clear the way I can make Gatou beg for death."

"Deal kid." With that said Zabuza charged into the large band of thugs that were now shielding a terrified Gatou. The sword held in his one operating arm cut through men like paper and the kunai in his teeth took care of anyone that got beyond it. Behind him Naruto traveled at a much slower pace while Sakura defended him from anyone lucky enough to avoid Zabuza's wrath. When they reached the center it was to find a cowering Gatou and a still fighting Zabuza.

Naruto walked up to the evil man, his face set with a stone cold determination. This was one person he would not show mercy to. Gatou raised his hand to fend off the child ninja. This was a big mistake as Naruto simply grabbed it, throwing the man into hell. The horrible screams filling the air made all other action stop, even Zabuza froze at the sound.

The screams faded only to be replaced by whimpering and shaking. The thugs were about to renew their effort at saving their paycheck when an arrow pierced the ground before them. They looked up only to see a group of determined villagers holding makeshift weapons. They definitely weren't getting paid enough for all this, so they ran.

The villagers cheered in triumph so lost in their self congratulations that only a few noticed Naruto letting go of a now silent Gatou's hand and allowing him to fall to the ground, a little bit of drool escaping his mouth. None heard his quiet murmur of Kagyaku. Zabuza walked over to his apprentice and promptly passed out beside him.

Naruto was dead to all that was happening around him unable to tear his gaze from the limp form at his feet. He was vaguely aware of a hand on his shoulder and someone pressing his discarded clothing into his hand. With a speed born from desperation he jammed the protective layers over his exposed skin. At that moment he wanted nothing more than to close himself off from the world for he knew exactly what he had done.

He had held on long after Gatou's mind had taken on more than it could handle. Held on even though he knew it was enough to send him into a coma. He had maintained contact until the evil man's mind broke to such an extent that not even a Yamanaka would be able to drag him back from its depths. He knew that even if the villagers let Gatou live he would forever remain as nothing more than a vegetable.

Inari came up behind the ninja that Tazuna was trying to comfort. "Is he dead?"

Naruto shook his head. "What I did to him was far worse than death. The Gatou you knew is gone Inari. This man is just an empty shell and so I leave him to your village to dispose of however you wish. Zabuza and Haku however should not be punished, they may have been on the wrong side but they helped us in the end."

Sakura who had been too frightened to move after seeing the full extent of the Kagyaku finally came back to earth. Still trembling she approached her teammate. "Naruto." His blue eyes seemed to radiate sadness when they locked on her and suddenly all fear was banished. He needed her right now and she'd be damned if she was going to stand there doing nothing.

Naruto jumped as warm arms wrapped around him and for a moment he desperately tried to get away, but she would not let him go. "I'm here for you Naruto, whether you like it or not I'm here. You don't have to go through this alone." He stiffened when he felt her fingers make use of the large tear in his shirt, brushing against his chest for mere seconds before retreating.

Sakura allowed the sadness and guilt he was feeling wash over her before pulling her fingers away, not wanting to violate his memories. She tightened the hug and this time he stopped fighting allowing his tears to soak the read fabric on her shoulder.

Kakashi smiled at the sight. He was beginning to like Sakura more and more as time went on. He was about to drag his battered body to his remaining students when he felt a light tug on his sleeve.

He looked down to see the kind eyes of Haku. "I thought you might like to know that I didn't kill your student. I only used my senbon to give him the appearance of death."

Kakashi's eyes watered with joy at the words of the wounded ninja. "Thank you for showing my student such mercy. I'm glad his first serious battle was against someone like you."

Haku smiled softly and promptly passed out. With renewed energy at hearing that yet another one of his students had in fact not been killed Kakashi lifted himself off the ground. Though his progress was slow he was able to make it over to Sasuke. "Naruto, Sakura come over here."

As the two thirteen year olds walked over fully prepared to pay their last respects to their fallen comrade Kakashi began to carefully remove the needles. Both were openly crying when they saw Sasuke's lifeless form.

"Do you two remember how Haku saved Zabuza in that first fight? Well…"

He pulled the needles from Sasuke's neck very carefully. For a moment nothing happened. Just when Naruto was about to ask for the rest of the sentence Sasuke's eyes cracked open and he groaned. Sakura screamed in joy as she threw herself on the dark haired boy while Naruto stood shocked into silence.

Sasuke looked around the group and smiled when his eyes landed on Naruto. "Nice to see you're alive dobe."

"Heh, same to you teme."

One week later team seven stood at the end of the completed bridge. Behind them the entire village including a bandaged up Zabuza and Haku had gathered to bid them farewell. Tsunami bowed her head in respect. "Thank you so much for every thing you have done for us."

"You did good for a bunch of brats."

Tsunami elbowed her father in the side, a look of disappointment on her face. Naruto just smiled. "Yeah, you build a nice bridge for a drunk old man."

Haku and Zabuza walked up and shook hands with all four of them, although Haku also gave Naruto a one armed hug. "I still want to take down the Mizukage, but I'll be more careful of who I work for in the future. If any of you find yourself in a bind feel free to call on Haku and me."

Inari was the last one to approach them and he seemed to be fighting back tears. Naruto bent down so they were face to face. "What's wrong?"

Inari sniffled. "I promised myself I wouldn't cry anymore."

Naruto smiled allowing that unexplainable warmth to flow around the little boy. "It's okay to cry when you're happy."

The tears rushed down his cheeks as though a dam had been released. He gave Naruto a fierce hug. "Thanks for everything!"

As the Konoha ninja disappeared into the distance the villagers smiled. Tazuna turned to his people a big grin on his face. "Let's hear it for the ninja that made building the Great Tazuna Bridge possible!"

An awkward silence took over the crowd as everyone stared at him. Inari pulled on the old drunk's pant leg. "Um… grandpa, can we name it after Naruto instead?"

The old man seemed about to protest when Tsunami stopped him. "That's a great idea."

Tazuna sighed in defeat. "To the Great Naruto Bridge." The cheers were deafening.

**I have officially been procrastinating long enough so I have to wrap it up here. Next chapter is going to be some exposition and the beginning of the chuunin exams so if you have anything you want to see happen I suggest you send me a review. I do try very hard to give people what they ask for so don't be afraid to make requests and predictions. Who knows you may see it in later chapters.**

**As usual thanks a lot to: darthwessel666, Frozen Tempest, alfred7188, Talon Phoenix, koden.shokkou, KD-kid, Sethus (I hate it when Naruto is some unbeatable demon), ShivaVixen (I'm flattered that you risked getting in trouble for my fic), kagekitsune49, SylvanSpirit (I can't believe you'd threaten me with my own plot device. I would say sorry for getting you hooked but I enjoy the attention.), Boejangles (Kyuubi would not let his vessel stay out for long, he is after all a very stubborn fox), FreeTheKyuubi (I hate it when your other characters turn on you. That is why I stopped using them after my first two stories for anything other than cameos.), Twilight-Phantom66 (I may be studying to be a teacher but I really want to get published some day), rickp2006 (I know I should use the reply thing but it makes me nervous, plus this makes me look back at the reviews after each chapter and reflect.), Stausenhat (You are the first person to point that out, and good thing too because it will be important later.), DarkRavie, frogger666(I'm so proud of myself for making them live. After your review I felt guilty killing them off so I struggled through a bunch of scenarios before deciding on this one), Silverblade219(it is kind of like the Hyuuga attack only it breaks bones instead of organs. I wrestled with extending the curse to chakra for a while before deciding no. Naruto is enough of a bad ass when in Kyuubi form to do that and I don't want the Kagyaku to become a crutch like other bloodlines.), missing-nin class-S(in case you didn't get my reply I wasn't trying to sound mean, I know you were just asking a question. Sorry.), HawkofNavarre (I'm glad you feel you can learn something from me, but my action scenes aren't all that great), Tim, jere7782 (there will be different stuff here and there but it will follow canon), GoingGhost, templar132 (Kyuubi does strengthens his immune system which would include poison), Hououza, Gnosismaster, Darkide (Glad you find me funny, and I love Robin Hood Men in Tights), Amei-chan (fanfiction keeps deleting my divides, I'll be sure to double check next time), mangalover248, JadedDiamond, Tetsukon, Denim88 (It took some doing but I got her to see him in Kyuubi form and put in some fluff, this chapter was definitely major drama. And I'll do my best to check out your new story.), Katana King, renegate0789, teamkyubi13, narsaksas, spedclass, MiseryluvsDeath aka Fidele.**

**You know that would probably go a lot faster if I didn't feel the need to respond to all of you. Maybe I should start using the reply thingys.**

**Thanks for reading Ja Ne.**

**Yooso**


	14. Chapter 14

**So I just got back to school from fall break where I spent a good amount of time working on this chapter. I'm glad you all like this story so much and I even got a compliment on my fighting scenes. Haku and Zabuza survived solely because one of my reviewers asked me to make it happen and some others have already given me great ideas on how to bring them back into some of the action. So your ideas do get heard and I'd love you to keep sending them.**

**Some people were wondering how Haku survived the Raikiri. Well in the anime he gets stabbed in the middle of the chest, obviously dead. In my story I had him get hit in the right shoulder area, avoiding vital organs. Then Naruto kept Zabuza from cutting through him to get to Kakashi. It's a close shave, but with some medical attention possible to survive. Odds are that arm will not be as mobile or strong as his left though.**

**I've officially rambled enough so I don't own Naruto and that fills my legal requirement.**

Human Contact

Konoha was a lovely place to return to after a stressful mission. For a village filled with ninja it was surprisingly full of life and color. Everyone smiled and people chatted merrily on the streets, children ran around throwing cardboard weapons at each other in the age old game of ninja. Shop vendors sold their wares from carts and stores bulging with supplies and no one seemed to be lacking anything.

Naruto was happily sitting at his favorite ramen stand. He picked at the sleeve of his deep red hooded jacket as he waited for a bowl of ramen. The Hokage had given the team a week off after their A rank mission and he was determined to enjoy it.

Ayame set down a bowl of steaming noodles under the nose of her favorite costumer. "Thanks Ayame! Teuchi's ramen is definitely the best in the world!" He pulled down his mask revealing the grinning face underneath and broke his chopsticks apart. A mouthful of delicious noodles was halfway to his mouth when he felt a tug at his hood.

He jumped about half a foot off his chair when his golden hair was revealed to the world. He whirled about, ready to defend against any unwanted contact when he came face to face with a laughing Sakura. "What the hell did you do that for? You almost gave me a heart attack."

The pink haired girl sat in the stool next to him. "Kakashi said I might find you here, but with the red jacket I couldn't be sure so I checked. What's with the wardrobe change anyway?"

Naruto stuffed the rapidly cooling noodles into his mouth before answering. "These are my civilian clothes. The hood comes off too easily in training, but it's a lot cooler."

Sakura nodded. "I get it, red looks good on you by the way."

Naruto swallowed another mouthful of heaven. "Thanks, I actually wanted to get it in orange. But Kashi wouldn't let me."

Sakura nodded and turned to the older waitress. "Can I get a bowl of chicken ramen please?"

Ayame smiled and gave the younger girl's order to her father. On the way back to the counter she placed another steaming bowl in front of Naruto, who was just drinking the last of his broth. He dug into the second helping with abandon. "So who is your friend Naruto?"

The blond looked up and swallowed his food. "Sorry Ayame, this is Sakura. She's on my gennin team."

Both girls smiled and shook hands. "Ayame is like a sister to me. She and her dad used to give me free meals and discounts when I was little."

Ayame laughed as she gave him yet another bowl and set Sakura's in front of her. "My dad took pity on him when we caught him digging through the trash cans. We thought it was an animal at first so you can imagine our surprise when this tiny child comes out, shivering and so thin you could see his ribs. Now we can't get him to stop eating. Naruto's like a bottomless pit for ramen."

"Speaking of which…" Naruto held up his empty bowl.

Ayame sighed and handed him another one. It had been years since Naruto had to wait for a refill. As soon as he came into view Teuchi would have a huge pot of his favorite cooking and ready to be sent out at a moments notice.

Sakura would have been appalled by his eating habits if she hadn't known how quickly he usually ate. The fact that his face was visible as long as he was gorging himself was a plus.

She was having trouble categorizing Naruto's appearance and it drove her organized and analytical mind crazy. Boys like Haku were feminine, and Sasuke was easily a pretty boy, clean cut but obviously male. Naruto was different though. He definitely wasn't a pretty boy, but with those big blue eyes and soft features one could hardly call him masculine or rugged.

Naruto covered his face and patted his stomach in satisfaction making her realize that he had just finished ten bowls to her one. "Would you like to do some light sparring Sakura-chan?"

"Sure Naruto." They placed their money on the counter and walked towards the training fields. Ayame smiled happily as she began cleaning up. Naruto had finally found somebody.

An hour later found Sakura breathing heavily while her opponent looked only slightly tired. Through the entire fight she had only managed to hit him once or twice. Every time she struck he would weave inside her guard and then attack viciously. Had he been serious she knew she would be suffering from bruises and broken bones. "Where do you get all that energy, and who taught you to fight like that?"

"I've got a lot of stamina from years of running away and training well beyond my physical limits. You know how much of a slave driver Kakashi can be."

Sakura slumped down to the ground groaning at the memory of Kakashi's boot camp. "That makes sense, but what about your style? They never taught us anything like that in the academy."

Naruto's light laugh filled the training ground as he pulled down his mask and sat next to her. "I've been making up that style for a while now. Kakashi says that the best fighters make up something that suits them, rather than forcing their bodies into the mold of another.

"I have a street fighting background, because that's where I grew up, but unlike most people that fight within their age group, I was constantly up against opponents much older and skilled. I had to learn to use my attacker's strength against them and weave through blows as I wasn't strong enough to block. Also when you're that small you want to end a fight as fast as possible so dirty tricks and blows to vulnerable spots are necessary."

"Dirty tricks?"

Naruto laughed again. "Oh yeah, I use a lot of those. You should have seen the look on Kakashi's face the first time we sparred. He had me pinned to the ground, so I threw a handful of dirt in his face and bit his arm. Being the drama king he is he went to the hospital for a rabies shot, which of course hurt a lot more than the bite did."

Sakura ended up rolling on the ground laughing her head off as an image of Kakashi running around with a smaller version of Naruto hanging off his arm screaming about rabid ten year olds danced through her mind. "Oh I would pay to see that!"

Naruto smiled and lay down next to her, his hood sliding off his head, his eyes focused on the clouds. "It was definitely an interesting trip to the emergency room."

They lay there in silence for awhile before Naruto pointed at a cloud. "It's a bunny!"

Sakura looked at the boy with disbelief then started snickering. The confusion on his face when he turned away from his bunny cloud was priceless. Her snickers turned into giggles and then out right laughter.

"What's so funny?"

She put her hand over her mouth to stifle the laughter. "I never thought I'd see the day when a thirteen year old boy would shout about a cloud that looks like a bunny."

"But that's what it looks like." Suddenly she was very aware of how close they were, her eyes landed on his pouting lips for a second before she turned away desperately trying to suppress a blush.

"Why orange?"

"Huh?" The sudden change of subject threw poor Naruto for a loop.

"Your jacket, why did you want to get orange?"

"Orange is my favorite color."

Sakura nodded. "Not a very practical color for a ninja."

"Which is why Kakashi made me compromise with the red."

She pushed herself off the grass. "Well, I better head home before my mom starts to worry. I'll see you around Naruto."

"Bye!" He watched his pink haired teammate disappear before he pulled his mask and hood back on. He slowly stood and began the walk back home.

When Sakura got home she immediately went to her room and fell on her bed. An image of Naruto's pouting face swam into her mind. True, pouting like that was childish but somehow Naruto had made it attractive. In that moment she had the unexplainable urge to kiss him.

Sakura rolled over and screamed into her pillow. She loved Sasuke and had for years! Why is it that suddenly she finds herself wanting Naruto? Was she really so shallow that the minute she finds out he is reasonably attractive she's all over him?

The scream turned into a groan. Who was she kidding? Naruto was more than just attractive. His eyes, large blue pools surrounded by thick dark lashes, were nothing short of angelic. His boyish features almost bordered on pretty but, just like his fighting style, there was something rough and animalistic about him.

Sakura pulled her face from the pillow in order to swallow some much needed air. She laughed bitterly at the pointlessness of it all. Even if she did decide that she liked Naruto it wasn't like they could have a normal relationship. Due to the effects of the Kagyaku, Naruto would forever be beyond her reach.

She was better off sticking to Sasuke. Unfeeling though the Uchiha may be she knew what to expect with him. He was familiar to her, and even though she hated the constant rejection it was a pattern that she found oddly comforting. Naruto however was confusing and mysterious. She had learned so much about him since they met and she still felt like she knew nothing.

A drop of water fell onto her sheets. The wet spot fascinated her, for she had no idea where it came from. It wasn't until it was joined by another that she realized she was crying. It was time she faced the facts, her feelings for Sasuke had long since dwindled. Her affections had been stolen by a kind blond who had become one of her best friends, and she couldn't even touch his hand.

Elsewhere Naruto was a very confused teenager. He liked Sakura a lot but she was just so confusing. Kakashi had told him that girls thought differently from guys but he hadn't really noticed it much until today. It was always obvious that Sakura was a lot softer and more understanding than Sasuke, but today she had been weird. The only time he had ever seen her blush like that was when she was looking at Sasuke.

He walked into the house and quietly made his way to his room, pointedly ignoring the giggling man reading porn on the sofa. As soon as he was in the glass ceiling room he began shedding clothes. Kakashi walked in to see him walking around in his boxers tending to the many potted plants kept in the room.

Naruto had started keeping plants shortly after he got the Kagyaku. His excuse was that the flower petals felt almost like human skin. The blonde cared for them as if they were people, sometimes he even talked to them.

"You know you don't have to worry about them so much. Iruka took good care of them while you were away."

Naruto looked over to him. "Do you think it's possible to feel something for somebody even if you know that nothing can come of it?"

Kakashi smiled knowingly at his young charge. "Sounds like somebody has his first crush."

Naruto threw the spray bottle he had been using on his plants at his mentor's head. "I do not have a crush, I'm talking about someone else."

"Sure, as if I've never heard that one before."

"I came to terms with the fact that I'm going to end up alone a long time ago. The one I'm worried about is Sakura."

Kakashi sighed. After finally becoming comfortable with the role of parent Naruto just had to throw him into the world of teen drama. "Look Naruto, I'm sure it's just in your imagination. And even if it isn't she's a big girl, I'm sure she knows what she's getting herself into." 

"No she doesn't Kakashi. Sakura has been sheltered her whole life, she has no idea what people are capable of, and I'm not about to let her find out."

Kakashi's lazy eye had a sly gleam to it. "For someone resigned to be alone you sure care a lot."

Naruto glared at him, his soft blue eyes becoming piercing shards of ice. "I never said that I didn't care about her and you know it. Stop trying to twist my words around!"

The tall jounin sighed. "Listen Naruto I understand why you are worried but it isn't really your choice to make. If she really wants to get close to you then there is nothing you can do to stop it. In the mean time my advice is to act normal, you could very well be wrong about her feelings. Besides you guys are too young to start thinking about this stuff."

Naruto raised his eyebrow. "But we are old enough to kill?"

Kakashi paused. "Well when you say it like that…" Kids were definitely smarter than they looked. He hadn't expected Naruto to start pulling that one on him until he wanted to start drinking or smoking. He shuddered at the idea of Naruto turning into a chain smoker like Asuma. Looked like he had yet another jounin to put on his list of people he didn't want influencing his son.

"If you feel that you and Sakura are old enough to feel that way, then doesn't that make her old enough to make the decision?" 

Naruto turned back to his flowers and delicately ran a finger along one of the petals. "You know why I like flowers so much?"

"You said that it was because the petals felt almost like human skin."

Naruto laughed, he had no idea that Kakashi remembered something he said years ago. "There is that, but it's also because they can't turn away from you. A plant can't feel pain and it can't blame, so there is never any regret. I don't want her to decide that she is ready and then regret it. I don't think I can take it if she regrets me."

Kakashi walked over and gave the young boy a hug. "Sometimes I wonder if you really are thirteen or someone much older. A kid your age shouldn't have to worry about regret. Just live your life and trust that things will work out for the best and if they don't, know that I'll be here to help you pick up the pieces."

"Thanks Kakashi…. You know, you can let me go now."

Kakashi looked down at the boy then locked the generous head of blonde hair in a one armed head lock. "Oh so suddenly you're too old for hugs you little brat!"

"I am when they take so long that they become awkward." He stomped on Kakashi's foot but the jounin merely gave him a noogie. This of course did not sit well with Naruto so he pulled his trump card and bit the jounin's arm.

The Cyclops immediately let him go and began jumping around and shouting about rabies and tetanus. Naruto simply picked up the spray bottle he had thrown earlier and continued tending his precious flowers. The screaming jounin had become a norm in the house.

A week later Kakashi was sitting in the Hokage's office with the other jounin sensei. "Now on to today's business, the chuunin exams are coming up in a week and I need to know if any of you feel your teams are ready to participate."

Gai was the first one to step forward. "After this past year of training, my team is ready for the exams."

The Hokage nodded to his assistant who wrote down the team. Gai was followed by the sensei of several other older teams. The Hokage nodded at the rather impressive list. "Okay are there any others?"

To everyone's surprise Kakashi stepped forward. "I would like to nominate team seven for the chuunin exams."

The Hokage looked at him in shock. "Are you sure Kakashi? Even Gai held his team back for a year."

"I understand your concern but I know my team is ready for this. Each of them has proven time and again that they are extremely gifted shinobi."

Sarutobi nodded and his assistant added team seven to the roster. Asuma and Kurenai sighed in irritation. Now that Kakashi had gone and done that they had no choice but to nominate their own teams for a very dangerous test.

Mean while, out in the streets, Naruto was on his way to the team meeting at the bridge. In the distance he spotted Sakura. He briefly toyed with idea of pretending he hadn't seen her, they hadn't spoken since their light spar, but he knew that avoiding the problem would solve nothing so he jogged to catch up with her.

"Hey there Sakura-chan. How was the rest of your break?"

She turned around and gave him a bright smile but her eyes didn't have their usual sparkle. "It was good. I enjoyed the chance to rest and my mom took me shopping to congratulate me on the success of my first big mission."

She probably would have continued if it wasn't for the square rock that bumped into Naruto. The blonde turned and sighed in exasperation. "Konohamaru how many times do I have to tell you that perfectly square rocks with eye holes don't occur in nature?"

The box exploded in a cloud of smoke to reveal three coughing little kids. "Those sharp observations are exactly what I would expect from my eternal rival." The three then began their introduction as the Konohamaru corps leaving the two teens with large sweat drops.

The pink haired girl turned to her clothing covered companion. "Naruto, who are these kids?"

"Wow nii-san is that your girlfriend? She's really pretty!"

Sakura blushed while Naruto just shook his head in embarrassment. Leave it to Konohamaru to say the most awkward things. "Sakura, this is the Hokage's grandson Konohamaru. Konohamaru this is my _teammate_ Haruno Sakura."

This immediately got little Moegi's attention. "Wow, are you really a Kunoichi?"

Sakura smiled down at the little girl and nodded. Konohamaru was not to be ignored though. "Naruto nii-san you promised to play ninja with us!"

"I promised three days ago Konohamaru. I've got a meeting with my team today."

The brunette pouted so that his rival could not see the gears turning in his little mind. After all he did not worship Naruto for nothing, and had managed to pick up a few of the devious blonde's tricks. "I get it, you just want to go and make out with your girlfriend."

Naruto's eye twitched. "I suggest you rug rats start running."

The three first year academy students immediately dashed off laughing and screaming as the older children pursued at a much more leisurely pace, for ninja anyway. After all there was very little point in the game if the kids didn't stand a chance.

Everything was going fine until Konohamaru turned a corner and ran into a guy in black pajamas and purple face paint. The strange boy did not seem pleased at all and picked the kid up by his overly long scarf.

"What the hell do you think you're doing bumping into me like that?"

The tall blond girl behind him sighed in frustration. "Let the brat go Kankuro."

Kankuro merely snorted. "Somebody's gotta teach these weaklings some manners."

At that moment Naruto and Sakura rounded the corner and came to a stop, their laughter dieing at the sight before them. Naruto straightened and glared at the makeup wearing weirdo before him. "You're from sand right?" He received a nod from both teens. "Well then, unless you want to start a war, I suggest you let the Hokage's grandson down gently and walk away."

"Oh, and what's a little punk like you gonna do about it?"

Temari shook her head in exasperation. "Immature idiot."

Kankuro was about to continue when pebble hit his hand causing him to drop the struggling kid who immediately hid behind Naruto and Sakura. "Come back here you little brat."

He was about to grab the blue scarf again when several shuriken struck the ground at his feet, effectively stopping him. He glared up at the rock thrower from earlier who turned out to be the emo of team seven. "Naruto's right, we are allied nations and it would be stupid to start a war over one child."

This distraction allowed Naruto to slip up beside the black clad suna nin and discretely place the tip of a kunai against the side of the bundle on his back. The older boy's eyes widened in shock, there was no way this rookie could know his trick.

Naruto simply murmured so that only they could hear. "Aren't you a little bit old to be playing with dolls?"

He was about to retort when a cold voice interrupted the argument. "Kankuro, stop this nonsense right now or I'll kill you."

All those present looked up to see a red haired boy with a large gourd on his back, and the kanji for love tattooed on his forehead. Kankuro and the blond behind him, though both obviously older, seemed terrified. "Gaara I was only having some harmless fun."

Gaara was surrounded by sand for a moment only to disappear and reappear with his teammates. Sasuke also joined his team on the ground, mentally berating himself for not sensing the boy earlier.

Piercing blue green eyes surrounded by dark circles landed on team seven. He pointed towards the two males. "You two, what are your names?"

"Uzumaki Naruto"

"Uchiha Sasuke. And you are…"

The red head nodded. "Sabaku no Gaara"

Naruto glared at the boy, his instincts were screaming that something was wrong with this kid. "And why are you so interested in us?"

The creepy smile did nothing to settle his nerves. "Your eyes remind me of my own."

Naruto raised an eyebrow though it couldn't be seen under his mask. "Really? Because yours remind me of a raccoon."

This caused the red head to stiffen and the creepy smile to turn into a scowl. "I especially hope to meet you in the chuunin exams Uzumaki Naruto."

With that the ninja from Suna left. Konohamaru, who had been silent up until now began making up for it by jumping around and shouting. "Wow Naruto nii-san you were so cool!"

Sasuke ignored the hyper child running around them. "We better get going you two, we're late and you never know if Kakashi-sensei will show up on time."

With that Naruto was finally able to bid farewell to his tiny rival and head off to the small bridge that became team seven's designated meeting place. They of course still had to wait for the arrival of their sensei, but only for half an hour.

"Yo" Kakashi entered in his usual cloud of smoke even though it had long since lost that impressive flare. He of course got yelled at by Sakura for his tardiness. "I actually have a real excuse this time."

This got the young girl to shut up and the whole team looked at him with suspicion. He smiled and pulled out three pieces of paper. "I was nominating you three for the chuunin exams next week."

He handed each of them an entry form, the boys took them with excited smiles, but Sakura looked unsure. "Now it's your decision on whether or not to take it, but I suggest you spend this week practicing. If you want to take the exam than show up at the academy, room 301, next Monday at nine and hand in your permission slips. In the meantime I want each of you to work on your strengths and weaknesses. Also, I suggest that you start working on enhancing your senses, if you have any questions you all know where I live."

With that said he left in a puff of smoke. Sasuke walked off to practice with his Sharingan and possibly learn a new fire jutsu. Sakura walked over to a tree and began walking up and down to increase her chakra stores. Naruto created ten clones to join her and then put on a blind fold and ear plugs. He sat down and concentrated on enhancing his sense of smell.

**I'm rather proud of this chapter because sappiness and teen drama is not my strong suite. I was the girl who didn't want to fall in love when I was in high school. Even my mother sees me living with a guy for years without actually tying the knot. I did listen to it from all my friends though, so I have a lot of experience as the observer. I swear I was like the high school shrink but without the couch.**

**Sakura's reaction when she sees Naruto again will be explained in later chapters so be patient. As Shakespeare's character Prospero said, love is fleeting if it is not hard won. (That is not a direct quote).**

**Anyway, when last chapter got 48 reviews, most of them long and deserving of a response, I had to break down and use the reply button. Those shout outs take a long time, and that one probably would have gone on for three pages.**

**So now I have anonymous corner where I reply to some of my anonymous reviewers.**

**Lord of the Large Pants: 1. I think Gaara is already bad ass enough. 2. I like this one but interest as an experiment because Kyuubi is already in there. 3. I have plans for when that first happens and I'm quite attached to the idea. 4. I really like this idea, I'll probably use it close to the time skip. 5. I don't know much about Nii Yuugito so I don't feel comfortable using her just yet. Thanks for all the great ideas!**

**Likes a good story: I had to pull the boxer incident back in somewhere, it was too perfect. I have no idea how to spell Gatou/Gato's name and since he is a minor villain and an ass I didn't bother finding out. I'm glad you liked how I polished him off, I felt it had a certain poetic feel.**

**Thank you to all of my reviewers big and small, reading your comments always brightens up my day. See you next time!**

**Ja ne**

**Yooso**


	15. Chapter 15

**Sorry for the long wait everyone. I was not having good luck on this chapter. First it was writers block, then the cold from hell and finally a week filled with so many scheduling problems that I couldn't get to sleep. I've been recovering for the past two days now. I'm glad that I was finally able to get this chapter out. It feels like I haven't updated in ages.**

**I still don't own Naruto but you all know that.**

Human Contact

The day of the test arrived to find team 7 two hours early. They handed in their permission slips and quietly entered. The two boys were painfully aware of their female teammate's uncertainty.

The silence between them was interrupted by the sound of a gennin team trying to force their way into room 301. Sasuke began to walk forward to call of the pathetic excuse for a genjutsu but Naruto stopped him. "That's Gai's team. They should have no problem trying to get past those guys." Naruto turned towards Sakura. "How many flights of stairs did we go up?"

The pink haired girl slipped out of her nerve induced stupor. "What?"

"How many flights of stairs did we go up?"

"Two, why?'

Naruto smacked himself in the forehead. "Even when she isn't paying attention she's better with genjutsu than me."

Sasuke sighed. "That's why she's the team genjutsu specialist and you aren't. If you took off those stupid sunglasses you'd probably be able to see things better."

Naruto readjusted his new glasses. "I can see perfectly fine with them on thank you very much. You're just upset because they make me look cooler than you."

"Like I'm going to take fashion advice from someone who has to stay covered up all the time. Now what are we going to do? Should we help Gai's team out or not?"

Naruto was still glaring at his friend behind the glasses. "Neji is the prodigy of the Hyuuga clan. There is no way that he did not notice the genjutsu, not to mention Lee could pound those guys if he really wanted to and Tenten is a weapons specialist. If they are acting like that then they have a reason. We should just leave quietly."

Sakura nodded. "If they are as strong as you say then they are probably trying to make themselves look weak. It's a good plan, but we can't afford to draw too much attention to ourselves, so we should just avoid the situation all together."

Sasuke wanted desperately to show off, but he knew his teammates where probably right. Naruto seemed to know Gai's team pretty well and there was no denying that Sakura was the smartest member of the team. Besides going against her could crush the new found confidence she achieved. So he quietly walked past the hallway spectacle and continued up the stairs with the others.

He missed the knowing look passed between the two disguised chuunin. Another team had gotten through the pretest without issue. One of them knocked Lee back again, or the flare for the dramatic.

Room 301 was filled with gennin from many different countries, all trying to intimidate each other with glares and killing intent. They began scanning the area for a quiet place to sit when Sasuke was attacked from behind. Where it not for Ino's tell tale scream of "Sasuke-kun!" she might have ended up with a kunai in her throat.

Sakura sighed as her blond rival attached herself to the object of her affection. "So much for not drawing attention to ourselves." Naruto nodded as he proceeded to watch his pink haired friend trying to save Sasuke from Ino's vice like grip. This of course only made things worse as they fell into their old argument with the Uchiha trapped in the middle.

"How troublesome."

Naruto turned to see Shikamaru and Chouji, who was of course munching on a bag of chips. "Hey guys! I haven't seen you in ages."

Shikamaru sighed in irritation. "You wouldn't be seeing me now if Ino hadn't forced me to come. These exams are troublesome to begin with, and now she's gone and drawn the attention of every applicant."

Naruto smiled ruefully under his mask. "That may be true, but as long as everyone's attention is over here we might as well make ourselves seem oblivious. Being underestimated is probably the best weapon we've got. Do you know if team eight made it as well?"

"Of course we did. There is no way Kurenai-sensei would keep such a talented team out of these exams."

"Still loud as ever, I see. How you doing Kiba, Akamaru." The little nin dog jumped from his partner's arms to receive a back rub from the masked boy.

Hinata peaked out from behind the ever stoic Shino and smiled softly. "I'm g-glad that we are all h-here together."

Naruto smiled at the shy Hyuuga as Kiba retrieved his dog. "Your stutter has gotten a lot better Hinata-chan."

The pale girl's cheeks flamed red. "T-thank you N-Naruto-kun. K-Kiba-kun has been helping m-me."

Kiba had never been so happy that Naruto wore a mask before, as he knew that it concealed the sly grin on his friends face. "Well who better to learn confidence from than a shameless dog?"

The warning growl that escaped Kiba only made Naruto laugh harder, while innocent little Hinata was completely confused. Just as what promised to be a loud fight was about to break out a silver haired genin interrupted. "Will you rookies keep it down, or do you have a death wish?"

The nine thirteen year olds immediately became aware of the glares that were being sent their way. Even Ino and Sakura stopped trying to rip Sasuke in half as the killing intent washed over them.

The older genin shook his head. "Those ninja from rain are known for their short tempers so I suggest you newbies keep it down. Kids like you are the first to go in these exams."

Naruto could see Sakura's nerves getting the better of her again, and Hinata seemed like she was going to feint. "Killing intent is just a false front. If they really wanted to do anything they would have already. Besides the most dangerous ninja is the one that keeps his cool, not the one that flies off the handle just because a bunch of rookies don't notice their pathetic excuse for intimidation."

The group of friends sighed as the tension was broken. The other ninja in the room lost interest after Naruto's speech although many still focused their killing intent on him. Naruto, however, had no problem ignoring it.

The older genin chuckled softly. "That was some speech, but you probably managed to make a lot of enemies. My name's Kabuto by the way."

"Have you taken the exams before Kabuto-sempai?"

He smirked and pushed up his glasses before answering Sakura's question. "This will be my seventh attempt."

Kiba immediately gave a guffaw. "You must really suck."

Despite the insult Kabuto did not get angry, something that set Naruto on edge. "That may be, but I have experience, something you all lack. I've made good use of my failed attempts by gathering information, and since we are from the same village I'll give you a few pointers."

He pulled out a stack of cards and shuffled them. "These are chakra cards. I have information on almost everyone here that will only show up if I feed some of my chakra into them. So rookies, anyone in particular you'd like to know about?"

Sasuke immediately jumped at the chance to get an edge on the competition. "You got anything on Sabaku no Gaara?"

Kabuto smirked. "It's no fun if you already know the name." He pulled out a card and his chakra revealed a picture and some Statistics. "Sabaku no Gaara is the Kazekage's youngest child. His teammates are his older siblings Kankuro and Temari. This is his first time taking the exams. He has done no D-rank missions, eleven C-ranks and one B-rank. He returned from every one without a scratch."

This made the young genin shiver. The idea that someone could come back from a B-rank mission without injury was beyond them. Ino was the next to ask a question. "What villages are participating in the exams this year?"

Kabuto pulled out another card. "The only villages not participating in these exams are Iwagakure and Kumogakure. This is due to their still strained relationship with Konoha. Every other village has sent multiple teams with the exception of Oto which has only sent one. But they are a new village and little cause for concern."

Saying that was obviously a big mistake on Kabuto's part as the sound genin were not far away. The one wrapped in bandages charged and swung, but Kabuto avoided the attack. At least they thought he avoided it until his glasses broke and he fell to his knees coughing.

"So Otogakure is a second rate village huh?" The bandaged teen probably would have continued where it not for the proctor walking in.

"All right, break it up! There will be no fighting in my exam. Now line up and draw a number to find out where you will be sitting."

While they were in line Naruto leaned forward to whisper to his team. "I don't think we should trust that Kabuto guy. Information is power in this sort of thing and he gave it way too freely."

Sasuke nodded. "Even if he is from Konoha, he's an enemy here."

Sakura also agreed. "I'd like to know how he knew all that stuff about Gaara. Only Kages are supposed to know all those details."

Unfortunately they could not discuss it further as the seat drawing split them up. Naruto ended up near the front, Sakura in the middle and Sasuke near the back. At first he was on edge being around so many unfamiliar faces but he smiled when Hinata sat down next to him.

"All right, shut up ya brats! My name is Morino Ibiki and I'll be your exam proctor. There should be a piece of paper and a pencil on the desk in front of you. For those of you too stupid to figure it out, that will be your fist test."

Naruto tensed. He hadn't seriously taken a written test since his first year in the academy. Even then he didn't do well with the teachers changing his answers all the time. Now, after so many years of neglecting that skill, he had no idea if he could pass.

"You will be graded as a team, so if one of your teammates fails so will you. Each person will start out with ten points. Every incorrect answer will deduct one point from your score. If you are caught cheating you will lose two points, and if you are caught five times then you and your team will be forced to leave. The chuunin around the room will be watching you so do so with caution.

"The tenth question will be revealed during the last fifteen minutes of the exam. You have one hour, use it wisely."

Naruto reached for his test with trembling fingers. He was about to flip it over when a soft voice distracted him.

"Good luck N-Naruto-kun."

"You too Hinata." A deep breath to calm his nerves and he looked at his test for the first time. His eyes widened at the utter gibberish on the page. There was no way he would be able to answer these questions.

Sakura was worried. She knew that she would be able to pass, but she doubted either of her teammates could. These questions were not meant for genin and often involved complex mathematical equations. She knew that Sasuke would find some way to pass but she could tell by Naruto's posture that he was lost.

Her eyes locked on her paper and she started tapping her pencil in apparent thought. In front of her Naruto was starting to sweat, and the tapping wasn't helping him think. Something about the pattern bugged him. It wasn't until he was about ready to break his pencil that he realized it was Morse code and started to listen.

_Naruto, it's Sakura. Do you think you can answer any of the questions?_

He sighed in relief and started to tap his pencil in the same intricate pattern. _No. Do you think you can give me the answers?_

_The chuunin will know if I do. Just close your eyes and calm down. You'll find a way to pass._

Naruto sighed in irritation. All that tapping and she couldn't even give him the answers to the test. However he knew that she was right, the answers would take forever and there was no way they wouldn't get caught. He took her advice and closed his eyes, desperately trying to clear his head.

Immediately a whole knew world of sound opened up to him. Pencils scratching, chairs shifting, and an odd metallic squeak that shouldn't be there. He opened his eyes and glance up. Some one had managed to rig mirrors in the lights and was controlling them with ninja wire. As he watched them intently the answers from another person's exam flashed across the reflective surface.

Trying to remain calm Naruto shifted his eyes back to his test and picked up his pencil. Straining his memory he was able to write down the answers to two of the questions. He glanced up again, but the mirrors had stopped moving, the person had obviously found the perfect position. Again he closed his eyes to listen. This time he picked up on subdued barking and a slight buzzing. Obviously Kiba and Shino were using their partners.

He opened his eyes just in time to see a kunai fly past his face and bite into the desk behind him. "Number twenty-seven, you and your teammates fail." Naruto turned to see the boy behind him being pulled out of the room, another chuunin taking his test paper. Naruto was able to discern another answer before it was taken away.

As he turned around again it hit him. They were expected to cheat. He wasn't a complete moron after all. He waited for a few minutes before writing down the answer he had seen, and then continued his observation of the room.

It wasn't until he noticed the bulging veins around Hinata's eyes that he found the perfect person to cheat off of. His sunglasses were suddenly a very powerful tool as they concealed the direction of his eyes. Taking care to pretend he was working out problems and thinking he copied her answers.

As Naruto was copying Hinata different forms of cheating were occurring throughout the room. Like Sakura, Shikamaru was smart enough to answer the questions himself. By using the Kagemane he was able to manipulate Chouji. Ino also used her family jutsu to cheat by transferring her mind into Sakura and stealing the answers. Sasuke used his Sharingan to mimic the movements of the person in front of him. Gaara used his sand and created a third eye to cheat, while his siblings made good use of Kankuro's puppet.

Finally they reached the last fifteen minutes of the test. "Pencils down!" Ibiki glared at those who began scribbling as quickly as possible until they got the hint. "Now the tenth question has some new rules." He ignored the groans of irritation. "First you have to choose if you want to take it."

This immediately caused mass confusion. Kiba, being the hot head he is, was the one to speak up. "Why wouldn't we want to take the tenth question?"

The sadistic grin did not bode well for the test takers. "If you choose not to take it then you are guaranteed a chance next year. However if you take it, and answer wrong, then you will be banned from these exams remaining genin for the rest of your lives."

"That's not fair! Lot's of genin here have taken this exam before!"

Ibiki glared at the loud Inuzuka. "I was not proctor for this exam in previous years. While you are in this room I am in control of your futures. As far as you are concerned right now I am Kami."

Several genin raised there hands and were ushered from the room. Ibiki's sadistic smile returned. This was his favorite part, allowing the tension to grow and then watching the genin drop like flies.

The seconds ticked by at an agonizing pace. Naruto was so busy watching the clock that he hardly noticed the thinning crowd. He drummed his fingers on the desk in irritation. If there was one lesson he would never learn it was patience. Five minutes left and still no question.

Naruto's temper flared. His hand shot up into the air and slammed down on the table making everyone jump. "Just ask the damn question! It's not like I have all day."

Ibiki's eye twitched. "Are you sure you want to gamble with your future brat?"

Naruto laughed. "You just said the magic word. Because if there's one thing I'm good at it's gambling. Now give us the stupid question before we die of boredom."

Ibiki had known going in that Naruto would be a handful, but he had no idea that the boy was going to be a mini Anko. Looking around the room he could tell that his intimidation tactics were shot.

He sighed. "All right since none of you appear to be leaving I have no choice but to reveal the tenth question." All the chuunin hopefuls leaned forward in their seats. "Congratulations, you have all passed the first exam."

The silence was deafening, that is until Naruto slammed his head down on his desk. Hinata jumped in surprise and was about to check him for injuries when he started chuckling softly.

Ibiki ignored the current bane of his existence. "As chuunin you will have to go on dangerous missions, often with very little information. The tenth question was in fact whether or not you were willing to take it."

Temari hadn't been this annoyed since Kankuro first started stealing her makeup. "So the other nine questions had no point what so ever?"

Ibiki smiled once again. He may not have gotten rid of as many genin as hoped but at least he managed to upset them. Now he got to scare them. "The first nine questions were to test your information gathering skills." He untied his bandanna to reveal the intricate network of scars that was his head. "Information is the most valuable thing in the shinobi world. People will gladly torture and kill for it… WILL YOU SHUT UP NARUTO!!"

The boy's chuckling had been getting louder as the speech went on. He lifted his head from the desk though the laughter did not cease. "I'm sorry, I can't help it."

"And what, might I ask is so funny?"

The boy fought to control himself. "It's the bell test all over again. I was wondering where Kakashi got the whole 'get a bell or go back to the academy' thing."

Slowly the remaining members of team seven began to chuckle softly, although they never got as loud as Naruto. Everyone else was just confused.

That confusion only increased when the window burst, a sign unfurling in front of Ibiki. The banner was soon followed by a woman who obviously thought fishnet hid enough skin to be appropriate.

"Alright maggots, I'm Mitarashi Anko the proctor for the second exam." She observed the gawking teens and her smile turned into a scowl. "What gives Ibiki? You must be losing your touch if this many passed."

Ibiki stepped out from behind the banner, his bandanna covering his scalp once again. "We just happen to have a very talented bunch this year. Also I never thought I would be glad you arrived early."

Anko looked at her superior strangely. "All right maggots we're going on a little field trip so follow me!" She exited through the now destroyed window.

The remaining genin opted for the stairs rather than the window. Even Lee was mildly disturbed by this jounin, and he took part in man hugs while shouting about flames of youth.

In another part of Konoha the jounin sensei where eating lunch together. Kurenai checked the time. "The first exam should be ending about now. I should go and congratulate my team."

Asuma pulled his cigarette from his lips. "I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you. The proctor for the first exam is a real sadist. The head of the torture and interrogation division, Morino Ibiki."

Kakashi's head shot out of his beloved book. "Twenty bucks says my team passed!"

Kurenai was about to take it but Asuma stopped her. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Only fools bet against Naruto."

Kakashi sighed. "Damn. I was really looking forward to winning for once."

**I hope you liked this chapter a lot. Originally it was going to have the whole competition between Sasuke and Lee but I just couldn't get it down right, so rather than write something substandard I got rid of it. Sorry to those of you that might have been looking forward to it, but you would not have been pleased with the original results.**

**Thanks to every one who reviewed last chapter and please do so again. Even though I'm no longer doing shout outs I still appreciate even the smallest review. Now I'm going to go and get ready for Rocky Horror Picture Show. Tonight promises to be loads of fun.**

**Ja ne**

**Yooso**


	16. Chapter 16

**I should not be writing this right now. I've got a term paper, paintings, a speech, two or three smaller papers, a play to see and several other things to schedule. But I don't feel like working on any of that right now so you are all in luck.**

**I don't own Naruto**

Human Contact

Mitarashi Anko was known through out Konoha for many things. Her revealing clothing, the tendency for kunai to magically appear in her hand, her outrageous attitude and entrances, drinking habits and of course her obsessive love of dango to name a few. What she was not known for however was her outstanding ability with children. This of course was because her outstanding ability involved scarring them for life. It was therefore no surprise that Sarutobi had chosen her, out of all the other jounin, to proctor the second exam. After all surviving Mitarashi Anko was a test in itself.

She had led her victims to a large chain link fence that surrounded a rather ominous forest. A large sign read in bold letters 'TRAINING AREA 44'. They weren't sure if the spatters of dried blood were just there to scare them. Anko's manic grin became sadistic as she looked over the nervous gennin.

"Alright you maggots! For those of you that can't read this is training area 44, a.k.a. the Forest of Death. It is the most dangerous training ground in all of Konoha, and you kiddies will be spending the next five days in it."

Naruto let out a relieved sigh. "Thank Kami; I was afraid we had to spend this whole exam with her."

Unfortunately for Naruto, Anko's ears were just as sharp as the kunai she threw at him. The dangerous weapon sliced through the mask covering his face leaving a small cut in its wake. The cut was just deep enough to bleed and just trivial enough for his regenerative abilities to completely over look. Before he knew it the semi psychotic woman was behind him, her arm draped over his shoulders and large breast provocatively pressing against his back. Had Naruto not been so scared he probably would have gotten a nose bleed.

"Oh come now. Spending time with me isn't all bad. After all I don't bite, hard." She was messing with him, he knew, but even so the sound of her voice coupled with the compromising position sent shivers down his spine. It wasn't until her tongue snaked out to lick away the blood on his cheek that his senses returned. Going into full self preservation mode he flinched away and covered his exposed skin with a protected hand.

Anko probably would have continued his torment had another gennin not come up behind her. She was only just able to stop herself from running the grass nin through. "Whoa, don't sneak up on me like that if you want to stay alive."

The strange girl held Anko's kunai in her ridiculously long tongue, a feet the other gennin found very disturbing. "So sorry for startling you, but the smell of blood made me a bit over excited and your kunai almost cut some of my lovely hair."

Anko was not about to admit that she found the girl incredibly creepy, after all it was her job to scare them not the other way around, so she took her kunai and returned to the front of the group. "All right, enough fooling around. Before we can start the exam you each need to sign one of these waivers so that Konoha is not found responsible for any injury or death during this exam." She ignored the nervous murmurs and pulled out two scrolls.

"Each team will be given either an Earth or Heaven scroll. The objective is to make it to the tower in the center of the forest with both scrolls before your limit of five days is up. You will be given your scrolls inside that tent so that your enemies don't know which scroll you have or who has it. You can use any means to get the scrolls, the only rule is that, under any circumstances, you are not to open the scrolls until you have reached the destination.

"For those of you ill equipped I suggest you either give up now or handle it when you enter the forest. A good ninja is always prepared and I'm not going to coddle you just for being stupid. Now if there aren't any questions, which I assume, there aren't." A few people nervously lowered their hands. "You may collect your scroll and waiver and head to your assigned gate."

The gennin became a confused mass as they signed waivers retrieved scrolls and were sent to their gates. An hour later found the chuunin hopefuls standing in the ominously quiet forest. Team seven was strolling through trying to think of the best course of action. Sasuke's hand nervously went to his kunai pouch to make sure the Heaven scroll was secure.

The forest around them seemed to have eyes and with how many ninja there were prowling around it probably did. Sakura knew that if Sasuke kept doing that it would only be a matter of time before he was targeted. "If you don't stop counting your kunai like that you're going to slice your fingers open."

The dark haired boy pulled his hand from the pouch, silently thanking her for the cover. It was true that she was the weakest link on the team, but there was no denying that she was smart.

Naruto gave a loud yawn and stretched his arms luxuriously. The masked boy seemed completely unaware of the tension in the air. "I've gotta pee." The announcement was loud, brash and entirely unnecessary. Naruto had been acting goofy ever since the exam started, and it was beginning to bug them. He reached the breaking point when his hand went to his pants.

Sakura immediately squeaked and turned. "Don't do that here! Go into the bushes or something!"

Naruto scratched the back of his head impishly. "Sorry Sakura-chan, I'll be back in just a second."

The other two genin watched him disappear into the surrounding foliage, mystified by his strange behavior. Sure Naruto had a tendency to goof off and try to make people laugh, but never in a serious situation, and he certainly never willingly showed skin let alone expose himself.

The short boy returned, letting out a relieved sigh. "Wow, I was able to write my whole name." He pulled his gloves on slowly humming a simple tune. This was immediately stopped by a kunai thrown by Sasuke. "Hey what gives?"

Sakura ran forward and kicked him in the gut. "Naruto would never walk around outside without his gloves on."

Sasuke threw a couple more kunai, allowing the ninja wire attached to them to wrap around the imposter tying him to a tree. "Not only that but your weapons pouch is on your left leg, and Naruto is right handed. If you are going to try and trick us with a Henge at least do it right. Now where are your teammates?"

The rain nin dropped the illusion revealing his strange body suit and oxygen mask. "I came alone. I thought I could handle a few punks like you. I was obviously mistaken."

Sakura used a pressure point in the ninja's neck to render him unconscious and Sasuke searched him for a scroll. There was none.

Naruto came hopping down from the trees. "Did he have a scroll?"

"Nope, and he didn't even bring his team."

"Damn." After that Naruto immediately slipped back into his comfortable and goofy pose. The act would make any ninja think they were weak, plus it irked Sasuke. "Man did you see the size of that proctor's jugs? She was like something right out of Icha Icha Paradise."

Sakura was about to punch the boy in the nose when Sasuke stopped her, a strange glint in his eye. "We need a password in case we run into the same situation again." The other two nodded. "All right the key is the old shinobi poem. 'When is the time for a ninja to strike?' Will be the call, and the reply will be 'In the dead of night, when weapons lay forgotten, that is the time for a ninja to strike.' You got it?"

Sakura nodded while Naruto looked confused. "I thought you said we needed a pass _word_." His teammates gave him a dull look. "I got it; I just wasn't expecting a speech."

Sasuke shook his head in irritation, making Naruto stifle a snicker. He then fixed his eyes on Sakura. "What ever you do, don't forget Kakashi-sensei's first lesson." The pink haired girl nodded and they started walking again.

It wasn't long until they ran into a new obstacle. A large gust of wind, obviously the product of a jutsu, came screaming down the path with terrific force. Sasuke and Sakura were able to jump off to the sides escaping damage but Naruto, who had been walking in the middle, was not so lucky. He only made it a few feet when the edge of the attack caught him, blowing him back into the dangerous forest. His back slammed into a tree stopping his flight but the impact made his head snap back, slamming it against the solid trunk.

Back on the path Sasuke and Sakura were dragging themselves out of the bushes; they looked at each other and pulled weapons. "When is the time for a ninja to strike?"

Sakura did not relax at the sound of the call. "Teamwork"

Sasuke visibly relaxed. "Bells. I was afraid you wouldn't catch my meaning Sakura."

The pink haired girl loosened the death grip on her kunai. "You made it pretty obvious."

The trees rustled and Naruto climbed out of the foliage, brushing leaves and twigs off his clothes. "What the hell was that?"

Both genin got into defensive stances. "When is the time for a ninja to strike?"

"In the dead of night, when weapons lay forgotten, that is the time for a ninja to strike."

Two kunai flew at the imposter who nimbly dodged eyes wide in surprise.

Sasuke pulled out another kunai while Sakura prepared some shuriken. "It's true your henge is a lot better than the last one's, but did you really think we would say a password out loud in the open?"

The imposter let out a laugh that made their skin crawl. "I underestimated you, how careless of me." The illusion melted away to reveal the androgynous grass nin with the creepy tongue. A poisonous aura surrounded the intruder, giving off a feeling of danger to the gennin. "Now let's see how you handle yourselves in the face of death!"

* * *

The world had gone dark for Naruto. His body ached from the impact with the tree and it was difficult to draw breath. Slowly he opened his eyes, and the world spun before him. As if the nausea from the spinning wasn't enough the piercing light made his headache even worse. He quickly shut them again.

The darkness was comforting; it offered stability to his battered senses. He took a mental inventory of his aches and pains and began to make a self diagnosis. The aches were fortunately not intense enough to be broken bones. The difficulty breathing was slowly leaving, so the collision must have knocked the breath out of him. The headache and swirling vision however posed a greater threat. They indicated a concussion, which could cause some major difficulties.

A rustling sound drew his attention. Slowly he allowed his eyes to open, praying that his teammates had come to find him. Of course praying never seemed to work out for him, as was proven by the giant snake poised to devoir him. Naruto stared helplessly at the gaping maw before him, trying to think of an escape rout.

* * *

Sasuke hid in the trees, trying to calm his rapid heartbeat and heavy breathes. Never before had he faced such killing intent. One look into the grass nin's eyes and he saw his own death. He had been forced to stab himself in the leg to move and even then the pain did not completely override the fear.

He looked down at the trembling Sakura. The effects seemed to be even stronger on her than him as all rational thought had left her. Before he probably would have scoffed at her weakness, but now he could not blame her. Sakura had led a sheltered life with a loving family and now she was facing a blood loving psycho with no jounin for protection.

The grass nin was so set on the battle ending in death that she had swallowed her earth scroll. Even Zabuza was not this insane. "Having fun hiding like a rat?"

The voice sent shivers down his spine and he turned to see the grass nin. He only just had the time to get both him and Sakura out of harms way before another attempted kill.

Sasuke cursed quietly as he watched his opponent. Where had the brave Sasuke from Wave gone? He had willingly put his life in danger then but couldn't bring himself to do it now. Of course then there had been a slim chance of victory, now he was against someone that was toying with him. Defeat and death were inevitable.

* * *

The inside of a snake was something Naruto never wanted to see. Yet here he was covered in slime and uncomfortably squashed by its innards. He briefly contemplated which he would kill him first, the lack of air or the stomach acid. It was difficult to think when you couldn't breathe and your head was still spinning from a concussion.

As if he wasn't having enough trouble fighting off the nausea before, now he was fighting down chunks. That rather disgusting thought gave him an idea. It was so simple yet brilliant. Sure the snake had eaten him, but it was about to find out that Uzumaki Naruto was not a light snack.

It was time for mister long, dark and slimy to experience a little bit of indigestion. Forming his favorite hand seal was difficult in such a tight space, but he managed it. Using the last bit of oxygen in his body he shouted out his jutsu.

On the outside world the snake was simply lazing about waiting to complete digesting. It was definitely not expecting the sudden stomach pain that racked its body. The small bulge that had been Naruto rapidly increased in size, and before the snake knew it, it was being blown to pieces in every direction.

Naruto stood in the middle of the mess positively covered in slime. To make matters even worse now that he could breathe he realized how bad it smelled. The poor boy couldn't take it anymore. He ripped off his mask and released the contents of his stomach. Afterwards he glared at the soiled piece of cloth. He hadn't brought a change of clothes, and though he knew it was dangerous he wasn't about to put that thing over his mouth again.

He stuffed the dirty mask into his supply pouch and tore off in what he hoped was the direction of his teammates.

* * *

Sasuke had reached the end of his rope. It had only taken a few seconds to realize that he could not continue running away for both him and Sakura. The girl was still far too shaky for coherent thought so he left her hidden in a tree and tried to lure the enemy away.

It had worked beautifully as the girl was far more interested in live prey. Unfortunately he was now faced with the problem of avoiding someone he couldn't fight without running away and without compromising a teammate's position. When the grass nin literally walked out of the trunk of the tree he was standing in his mind was made up.

This ninja was far superior to him, and if he wanted any chance of survival for him and Sakura he would have to sacrifice the scroll. He pulled it from his supply pouch and held it out. "This is what you need isn't it? Well if you leave us alone I'll let you have it."

The girl's sadistic laugh echoed through the area. "So you're protecting your life by offering me something more appealing. A very wise choice Sasuke-kun."

The disgustingly long tongue snaked out to take the heaven scroll from his hand. Sasuke shivered as he watched it progressing towards his hand.

Naruto looked on in shock. He had escaped from the inside of a snake's stomach while suffering a concussion all so that he could see his teammate give their scroll away. That was not going to happen.

Right when the grass nin was about to take the scroll a very fast blur snatched it away. Naruto landed in a branch a few yards away, the scroll clutched tightly in his hand. "My password is Icha Icha Paradise." He stood up straight and turned to his companion, messy blond hair waiving freely in the breeze and sunglasses flashing in the light. The scowl on his face spoke volumes.

The sound of his voice brought Sakura out of her stupor enough to be aware of her surroundings. She turned her head to see her two arguing teammates, but the grass nin from earlier was no where in sight.

"Give me back the scroll! She'll kill us all if we don't hand it over!"

Naruto growled in irritation. "What makes you think she'll let us live just for the scroll? The Sasuke I know wouldn't give up without a fight!"

"You don't know what she's capable of! Now give me the damn scroll!"

"No." He placed the scroll in the supply pouch on his hip. "You are not Sasuke. The Sasuke I know is an arrogant bastard but nobody could ever call him a coward!"

"NARUTO LOOK OUT!!" Being the only one who noticed the grass ninja's absence Sakura was also the only one to notice the giant snake.

Naruto turned just in time to see the giant head coming towards him. Not wanting to go through the same experience twice he took to the air. Unfortunately he could not avoid the tail that swatted him into a tree. The second impact knocked his glasses off and made him spit up blood.

Half of the grass nin's body rose from the snake's head and watched as Naruto's limp body slid down the trunk and onto a branch. "Hmmhmhmhmhm. I did not expect him to survive my little friend. Seems I underestimated you all again."

The snake then lowered its head toward a terrified Sasuke. Things were looking pretty bleak until a very angry Naruto slammed his fist into the reptile's head forcing it to the ground. It was a truly amazing feet considering the size ratio. His revealed eyes were glowing red as he glared down at his new least favorite animal. "So you're the reason I ended up on the wrong side of lunch!"

Once again he charged at his titanic opponent, undaunted by the difference in size. His pure hatred for the creature before him was enough to call on the Kyuubi's chakra, and he lost himself to the yearning for its annihilation. What should have been unnoticeable touches to the creature became searing blows. In desperation to rid itself of this ferocious enemy the snakes tale whipped out, knocking berserk boy through several trees.

At the bidding of its master the snake once again lunged towards Sasuke. The dark haired boy closed his eyes, anticipating the slow death by digestion. He was shocked when it never came. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was Naruto's bright red gaze burning into him. Behind him was the giant snake being held at bay by two kunai and a small teenage boy.

"You're not scared are you Sasuke?" His voice had become raspier and he looked positively feral. "What ever happened to the brave Uchiha that was going to hunt down and kill his brother?"

A long sibilant tongue wrapped around Naruto's arms and his widened in shock as he was lifted off the ground. His struggles were futile as he was brought face to face with the grass nin. He snarled in defiance and irritation as she looked into his red eyes.

'I recognize those eyes.' The ninja pulled up Naruto's black shirt and stared in wonder at the intricate seal on his stomach. Naruto struggled more as his biggest secret was revealed for the whole world to see, but it was useless. The ninja smiled sinisterly as the long tongue held the fabric out of the way for the sealing jutsu she was forming. 'So the Kyuubi container lives. He could become very useful to me later.'

Her hand shot forward slamming into his naked flesh. Instantly memories swirled through the grass nin's head of slamming into trees and suffocating inside a snakes stomach. She pulled her hand back in shock but the damage was done. Five glowing seals appeared around the original. Naruto's eyes returned to blue as he gasped in pain then slipped into unconsciousness. The grass nin pulled the heaven scroll from Naruto's hip pouch and let him fall, eyes still wide in wonder.

Sakura was finally able to force herself to move as she watched the blond fall. Acting quickly she threw a kunai that attached his now loosened shirt to a tree. She thanked Kami for all that target practice and the fact that ninja clothes were made so durable.

"You should have let him fall. Ninja that make such foolish decisions deserve to die."

Sakura looked up at the grass nin, no longer fazed by the earlier vision of death. "How dare you say that about him! At least he was willing fight!"

The grass ninja's attention was now fully on the pink haired girl. Fearing for her life, Sasuke leapt in front of her. "You have what you want now leave us alone!"

Sakura stared at him in shock while the grass nin chuckled sinisterly once again. She held the scroll up and set it on fire in the palm of her hand.

Sasuke's instincts were yelling at him to flee and he was about to turn and run when Sakura punched him in the shoulder. "Coward! Is this how you repay Naruto for his efforts? Is this how the great Uchiha clan acts in battle?"

He froze as his senses returned to him. Sakura's words had been harsh but they were just what he needed. They reminded him of his actions on the day of the Uchiha massacre. He had been so scared of death he was willing to run away from his family's murderer and for that he was left alive and alone. But he wasn't that little boy any more. He was a ninja and the last loyal Uchiha and he would be damned if he let a little thing like fear rule him. If Naruto could look death in the eye then so could he!

Sasuke turned back towards his enemy Sharingan eyes blazing. "Cover me Sakura, but don't get too close."

The pink haired girl smiled in determination. "Right."

She through several shuriken which were easily dodged but the grass nin was not expecting Sasuke to show up where she landed. He swiped a leg at her head which she leaned backward to avoid before doing several back flips to avoid Sakura's kunai.

All this movement put her close to the trunk of the tree, and in perfect position for one of Sasuke's newest moves. He threw several shuriken at her which she easily dodged. But she was caught off guard when they came back around the tree.

Before the grass nin knew it she was tied tightly to the tree by the ninja wire Sasuke had clenched securely in his teeth. This would not have been too troubling a situation if it hadn't been for the quick series of hand signs that followed. "Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!"

What normally would have been multiple small fire balls turned into streams of flame as they were guided by the ninja wire. The grass nin's eyes widened in surprise right before she was engulfed by the inferno.

Sasuke looked on warily as the smoke from his attack cleared. He could hear that same spine tingling chuckle but it was much lower than before. At last the wind carried the smoke away to reveal a mostly unharmed grass nin. The only injury was to her face, which seemed to be peeling off.

Both genin watched in horror as she reached up to pull away the skin revealing a completely different face underneath. This one was a chalky white with snake like yellow eyes. The deeper voice bounced off the trees and it was far more terrifying than the previous one. "It seems that I have no more use for this face. I've found what I was looking for."

Before either genin could react his head shot out as if his neck was elastic, and his teeth buried themselves deep into Sasuke's neck. As he pulled away Sasuke began screaming in agony and clutched at the wound.

"What did you do to him!?" Sakura charged forward throwing a kunai at the man who hurt her teammates. He caught it effortlessly.

"Remember the name Orochimaru. Sasuke-kun will seek me out for power soon, but in the mean time a leave him with a little something to remember me by."

With that said he disappeared into the forest. Sakura was about to begin pursuit when Sasuke's screams increased. Right now both of her teammates were hurt and needed her help.

She reached Sasuke just in time to catch him when he collapsed. Returning to the forest floor she laid him down in a large hallow at the base of a tree. She then went to retrieve the still hanging Naruto. As she set him next to Sasuke she looked around in disappointment. The camp was not the best of places, they would be out in the open, vulnerable and she didn't know where to find a water source. But the boys were far too heavy to carry so they were stuck here until one of them recovered.

She sighed and used some bushes for camouflage. When she felt her teammates were sufficiently hidden she ran off to recover as many weapons as possible and find a water source.

**Well I'm back with a vengeance and stressed as hell. On top of that I spent a lot more time on this than I was expecting too. Well such is life, and I'm digging my own grave so there is no use complaining. I'd start talking about a lot of stuff right now but I haven't had a real meal all day so I'm going to go get dinner. And then I have to get started on work for tomorrow's classes. Oh joy of joys.**

**Anyways thanks for all the lovely reviews. Even though I sound pissed beyond all reason you all still put a smile on my face. The favorite scene last time was definitely Kakashi trying to start that bet. Poor Kaka-sensei he can never catch a break. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I tried to bring Sakura into the fight a little more than the manga, not sure if I succeeded.**

**Ja ne**

**Yooso**


	17. Chapter 17

**Took forever to write this, but I'm finally done.**

**Still don't own Naruto so the lawyers can bite me.**

Human Contact

Two days. Two days since the exam began. Two days since they had entered this damnable forest. Two days since she had last slept.

Sakura's eyes itched with exhaustion but still she stayed awake, refusing to leave her vulnerable teammates unprotected. The fever raging through Sasuke had yet to break and once again she replaced the damp cloth on his forehead, it was the only thing she could do to regulate his body temperature. Naruto on the other hand seemed peaceful as he slept, yet nothing she did could drag him from the realms of unconsciousness.

She had no idea what Orochimaru had done to her boys, but the attacks were obviously crippling. Her eyes drooped as the memories of the battle flashed before her like a dream. The lack of sleep was affecting her again. Slowly she grasped a kunai and allowed the metal to bite into the flesh of her arm. It hurt like crazy placing a new cut next to the previous two she had made but it broke her from her stupor and made her more alert.

Green eyes flashed over to her sleeping blond teammate and she pulled on the gloves she purchased before the exam. It was necessary that she keep herself busy to prevent further episodes. Another cloth was pulled from the bowl of water and she pulled his lips apart to dribble the liquid in the rag into his mouth. She couldn't have Naruto getting dehydrated while she was occupied with Sasuke.

Her gloved fingers gently traced over his lips. She had wanted the new gloves to be a surprise for him, but it was necessary to use them now. She wanted to feel his skin so badly, and she leaned forward. In the back of her mind she knew that what she was doing was wrong. Not only would she be taking advantage of him and exposing herself to pain, but she had made the decision to stick to the slightly more attainable Sasuke. However the rest of her sleep deprived mind ignored that particular voice. Just this once she was going to get what she wanted.

Sakura's eyes closed in anticipation of the pain, hoping that once she did this she would be able to move on. Her lips connected with his in that soft inexperienced touch of all first kisses. Her eyes snapped open in shock as the only thing she felt was his soft lips against hers. Then the pain slammed into her. She could feel the strike that had put him in this situation. Five individual hits stabbed into her like kunai then seared through her stomach like fire.

The pink haired girl wrenched away from the boy in shock, hand gripping her stomach as the phantom pain left without a trace. Her green eyes were wide in shock, whatever technique Orochimaru had used on the blond had been very painful. She probably wouldn't have to use her kunai again for a couple of hours.

Her mind went back to the time he had complained about her fixing his dislocated shoulder. He had complained that he wasn't prepared for it and she had callously told him that it would have hurt more with a warning. Now she knew just how wrong she had been. Every other time she had touched him the pain came immediately, but this time there had been one blissful moment where she felt nothing but his skin against hers. In her surprise she had let her guard slip so that when the pain did come there was nothing to defend against it.

She looked down at his peaceful face and frowned. If only the pain had come immediately like it was supposed to. If only she hadn't been able to feel what could be, then she could move on. Then she could drop whatever childish hope she still had for the blond and move on to someone a bit more practical.

She returned to caring for the Uchiha, determined to keep her sights on the attainable. A wry smile graced her lips as she realized that the once untouchable Uchiha had suddenly become the more realistic goal in light of a much bigger fish.

A small noise caused her to jump and the kunai in her hand soared toward the intruder without thought or sight. She turned to see where it had gone only to see a small squirrel trembling in fear at the dangerous blade before it. Sakura sighed as it scampered away in terror, thankful it hadn't been something more dangerous.

Before she was able to relax again however, three sound nin came out of the bushes. Her eyes widened in fear, even on her best day she was not the strongest ninja, but now when she was exhausted and against three opponents all seemed lost.

"I'm impressed, even when your energy leaves your reflexes remain. But even so you are no match for us little girl. Hand over the Uchiha or die." The mummified genin moved into an intimidating fighting stance.

"What do you want with Sasuke?" She pulled out another kunai. As hopeless as the situation seemed, she would push her tired body to the limit to protect her friends.

The other male smirked sadistically. "Looks like this one still has a bit of fight left Dosu. I could have some fun with her."

The girl sneered. "You're disgusting Zaku."

"Shut up Kin!"

"Both of you need to shut your traps!" Dosu seemed very irritated with his team. "We are here to kill the Uchiha and that is it."

Sakura stood and walked out of the tree hollow. She got into a defensive stance ready to give everything for her teammates. "If you want Sasuke, you're going to have to go through me first."

Zaku smirked at the small pink haired girl. "With pleasure girly." He charged forward, too fast for Sakura's tired eyes to follow but still she stood resolute, waiting for the inevitable. It never came.

She opened her eyes to be blinded by green. "Attacking a team when two of its members are down is un-youthful."

Finally she was able to take in the whole picture. A boy with atrocious fashion sense was standing in front of her while Zaku lay on the ground nursing his bruising cheek. "Huh?"

The comment was not as eloquent as she would have liked but it got her savior's attention. The boy turned around and immediately had stars in his eyes. "Never before have I been faced with such beauty, I will protect you with my life fair maiden."

It was a line straight out of a fairytale, but somehow it seemed less glamorous coming from the strange boy. "Umm thank you but who are you?"

The strange boy reminded her of someone but she couldn't quite place it. "Oh how un-youthful of me to forget to introduce myself. I am Rock Lee, taijutsu specialist! And who might you be, most youthful lady?"

"Haruno Sakura."

The strange boy's already large eyes got even bigger. "You are Naruto-kun's teammate!" His eyes flashed to the two unconscious boys in the tree, he had not recognized his unconscious friend without the ever present mask. "In that case I have even more reason to protect you from these un-youthful rogues."

It was then that she realized where she recognized him. The resemblance was uncanny, especially around the eyebrows. There was no doubt that this boy was the apprentice of Maito Gai Naruto had spoken of.

He turned back to the three confused sound nin, eyes blazing with his flames of youth. The three were perplexed; one minute they were in for an easy fight with a tired leaf kunoichi and the next they were facing this freak of nature.

"I will make you pay for attacking Naruto-kun's teammate with the power of youth!"

He charged forward and attacked Dosu, but the mummified sound nin was prepared and blocked his kick with the steel contraption on his arm. Lee flipped back and began unwrapping the bandages on his arms. What he was about to do was a forbidden move, but he knew it was necessary if he wanted to protect his friends.

He charged forward once again, his speed exponentially increased. Before Dosu knew what was going on a jaw breaking kick connected with his chin, sending him flying into the air. Lee appeared behind him as if connected to his shadow and the still hanging bandages from his arms wrapped around him tightly.

Lee then grabbed onto him and pointed both of their heads downward. As if that wasn't enough the strange boy began to spin like a miniature whirlwind. "**PRIMARY LOTUS!!"** Lee pulled away from his opponent, the bandages increasing the spin.

Zaku's eyes widened as he saw his teammate heading toward a broken neck. Rushing forward he placed his hands on the ground and shouted out his favorite and only attack. "ZANKUHA!!"

Dosu hit the ground with a deep thud and his upper torso sunk into it. Kin and Zaku rushed forward to drag him out of the ground and Lee stumbled as he looked on in shock. Dosu brushed himself off, the attack causing nothing more serious than a headache, the lotus had failed.

"It seems that attack takes a lot out of you. It is meant to kill the opponent and leaves you with nothing in the event that it fails."

Sakura looked at her savior and was surprised to see that Dosu was correct. Lee was panting and his legs shook with strain. It was obviously taking everything he had just to remain standing.

Dosu charged forward arm cocked back for a strike, but with an amazing show of will power Lee dodged to the side and threw up an arm as a guard. Everything seemed fine until he suddenly gagged as his stomach lurched. Blood trickled from his ear.

Dosu let out an evil chuckle. "I'm impressed that you can still move, but my attack cannot be dodged or blocked. You see my melody arm amplifies sound waves, and what is sound?"

Sakura gasped as she realized what was going on. "Vibrations!"

Again that chuckle escaped Dosu's lips as his two teammates smirked behind him, reveling in their obvious superiority. "Exactly, and those vibrations attack the inner ear, causing much more than simple exterior damage."

Lee went to punch Dosu in the face but stumbled right past him and fell to his knees breathing deeply. The world was spinning and he felt like throwing up.

"Balance and perception are all gone when the inner ear is damaged. Even if you hadn't used up all your strength on that last move you still couldn't hit me. My taijutsu is far superior to your old fashioned style."

Once again Dosu's fist came towards Lee's head, but the taijutsu specialist avoided the blow. Unfortunately, just as Dosu said, he could not avoid the sound and a painful ringing echoed through his head. It was no wonder that he did not notice the large blasts of air that Zaku sent toward him.

"LEE!!" Sakura watched in shock as her savior fell to the ground, unconscious. If he couldn't beat them then what chance did she have? She glanced back at the two sleeping boys behind her. They were counting on her this time. Their lives depended on her; it was time for Sakura to blossom.

She pulled out a few shuriken and threw them at her opponents. Zaku immediately jumped forward and used his Zankuuha to repel them. They were so amused at watching her dodge her own weapons that they did not notice her throw another at a rope as she dove to the ground.

A large log came swinging down from the trees and once again a Zankuuha ripped through the air, destroying her trap. However Sakura was not finished yet. Several exploding tags that had been on the log fluttered through the air and detonated.

The unsuspecting sound ninja were blown across the clearing. Zaku was the first to recover, and he was pissed. He threw a kunai at her, only for her to use a well timed kawarimi no jutsu to escape.

He turned towards her again to see her running through the same familiar hand seals. "So that's how you want to play it huh. Very well then, I'll play your little game pinky."

He threw another kunai which pierced into a log and she appeared in the air above him, flashing through those same hand seals. "The same trick again?" He threw two more kunai and turned to see where she would show up next.

It wasn't until the blood droplets hit his face that he realized his mistake. He looked up to see that the girl had faked him out and was pulling his kunai out of her arms as she fell on him.

One of the sharp knives bit into his arm, giving him a taste of his own medicine. Then her exhaustion must have caught up to her again, as she returned to her cat fight days and sunk her teeth into his arm, biting as hard as she could. Zaku shouted out in surprise and shook his arm to get her off, but the girl would not let go.

"Somebody get this crazy bitch off of me!!" Sakura did not take kindly to that comment and stabbed her other kunai into his side. This of course only served to piss Zaku off even more as he realized his teammates were too stunned to actually do anything. Growling out in pain and anger he began to bring his fist down onto her head repeatedly. "LET GO OFF ME YOU PSYCHOTIC BITCH!!"

Sakura could only whimper slightly as she refused to let go or give up. Unfortunately that decision was not hers to make as Kin finally regained her senses and dragged the girl off of Zaku by her hair.

Sakura screamed as she was pulled away by her pink tresses. "What soft hair you have. So much more luster than mine. Perhaps if you had spent more time on your training than your looks you wouldn't be in this situation."

It was true that Sakura had always made sure to take care of her appearance. She hated being made fun of so much when she was younger than she became obsessed with being pretty, and fitting in. Yet no matter how soft her hair got, no matter how brightly her eyes sparkled or how smooth her skin, she still felt like a plain little girl playing dress up. Tears flowed from her eyes as Kin jerked her around by the hair that she had so painstakingly grown out.

She pulled a kunai from her pouch and prepared herself for what she had to do. She was not that little girl anymore. No longer was she playing dress up. Haruno Sakura was a ninja of Konoha, and she had teammates to protect. She tightened her grip on the kunai.

"What are you going to do to me with that princess?"

Green eyes full of determination snapped open. "It's not for you!" She swung the knife upward and sliced through the pink strands she had worked so hard to maintain. As soon as she was free she twisted to stab the sharp metal into Kin's thigh.

Kin shrieked in pain and used her uninjured leg to kick Sakura in the side of her head, sending the girl flying. The angered female limped towards her prey, who was struggling to stand, and stomped down, on her right hand. Sakura yelled in pain.

"Say goodbye pinky!"

"Leave her alone!"

The sound nin looked up to see three more leaf genin. The Ino Shika Cho trio to be exact; and they were definitely not feeling confident. However Ino could not bear to see what was happening to the girl that she still saw as her best friend, and she be damned if her teammates weren't going to help.

"Don't worry Sakura we'll take it from here. After all I can't let you show off in front of Sasuke like this." It was all vibrato of course but it made her feel better and the sound ninja didn't know that.

"Hey look, it's another princess, a lazy bum and a fat ass." Zaku was having fun laughing at their expense but he did not realize the taboo he had just uttered.

Chouji, who previously had to be dragged onto to the battlefield, was suddenly out for blood. "I AM NOT FAT! I'M BIG BONED!"

Using one of his family's techniques he expanded himself into a very large ball, into which his head and limbs disappeared. He then proceeded to roll around the clearing on collision course with Zaku. Zaku tried to stop him with a Zankuuha but Chouji's rotation was too fast, and he eventually jumped over it. So Zaku found himself desperately trying to outrun a giant spinning ball of doom that had obviously had him marked for death.

Dosu and Kin were in no better shape as they were also introduced to the jutsu of three of Konoha's most prestigious clans. Dosu could not move as Shikamaru had gained control of his shadow, and Ino had full control over Kin's body.

She raised a kunai to Kin's throat. "Give up or your teammate gets it in the neck."

Unfortunately that was when everything began to fall apart. Shikamaru's pitiful chakra reserves gave out and Dosu was free. The mummified sound ninja then proceeded to land a punishing hit to Kin's stomach. Blood dripped from Ino's lip as she coughed inside her stolen body. "How could you attack a teammate?"

"We from sound do not have the same weak ideas about teams as you pathetic leaf ninja. She is completely expendable."

At that moment Chouji finally stopped spinning and shrunk back down to size. He had been spinning so fast for so long that he was sick. It was obvious that the jig was up and Ino returned to her body, leaving Kin passed out on the ground.

It was at that moment that Lee's teammates arrived. "What the hell! Do these leaf genin just pop out of the ground like flowers?"

Neji glared at Dosu. "I was going to take care of you for what you did to my teammate but it seems that someone else wants to take that honor."

It was then that everyone noticed the powerful evil aura that was coming from Sasuke. The boy stood up, a dark energy swirling around him, the black marking that had been placed on his neck seemed to have spread until it covered about half of his body.

He looked around the clearing with his blazing sharengan eyes. They soon landed on his battered and bleeding teammate. "Sakura who did this to you?"

The overly confident Zaku was not about to be intimidated just because some leaf genin was able to put on a chakra show. "I did, what are you going to do about it Uchiha?"

Sasuke went through hand seals too fast to see and brought his hand up to his lips. "Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!"

Zaku laughed. "I can take this guy all by myself. Zankuuha!" The air coming from his hands extinguished the flames only to reveal the shuriken hidden inside them. The only thing Zaku could do was cross hiss arms to protect himself and take the hit.

He grunted as the projectiles cut into his flesh but pushed the pain aside. He thrust his hands at Sasuke and sent another Zankuuha at him.

When the air calmed down Sasuke was nowhere to be seen. "Hahahahahahaha. I blew him away."

"Pathetic." Zaku didn't even have time to turn around when the crazed Uchiha grabbed his arms and placed his foot on the small of his back, sending Zaku to his knees. "You seem very proud of these arms. How about I rip them off?"

He pulled and Zaku screamed in agony. "No Please!!"

The other genin couldn't believe what they were seeing. Sakura began to push her exhausted body off of the ground. She didn't want to see her friend become a monster.

Sasuke gave another pull and Zaku's arms gave off a sick popping noise, which only made Sasuke laugh darkly. Sakura ran up to him and threw her arms around his waist, tears streaming from her eyes. "Stop it! Please Sasuke, stop."

Red eyes shifted back to black, and the strange black markings on his face receded. Slowly his grip on Zaku's arms relaxed allowing the injured genin to slip to the ground. "I'm okay now Sakura."

The pink haired girl looked up and relief shone in her green eyes. While this was going on Dosu realized the position he and his teammates had been put in. Orochimaru had not expected them to succeed in their mission. It was time for a tactical retreat. "It seems that I cannot defeat you as you are now Uchiha Sasuke." He pulled out an earth scroll from his pouch as Sasuke's cold eyes followed his movements. "I will gladly give you our earth scroll if you let us leave without further injury."

"Why would you give up now?"

Dosu was not surprised that the Uchiha would question his motives. "It is not the right time; there is something I must look into. However if we meet in this test again, be assured that I will not run away." With that said he picked up his incapacitated teammates and disappeared into the forest.

Neji was the first to recover from the strange occurrence. "Well since everything seems to be under control here we'll be taking our teammate back."

Sakura let go of Sasuke and ran forward. "Wait! When he wakes up please tell him that I said thank you. If it weren't for his help my teammates and I would probably be dead."

Neji gave a slight nod before scooping up his oddly dressed companion and disappearing. Sasuke walked over to pick up the earth scroll not even sparing a glance at Ino, Chouji and Shikamaru. "Sakura, where is Naruto?"

At this Sakura's eyes widened and she ran over to the sleeping boy. She sighed in relief when she realized he was okay. "He's still out from what that man did to him, but he's fine."

Ino looked over her shoulder. "So that's what Naruto looks like without the mask. He's kind of cute, but what are those marks on his face?" She reached forward to touch them but Sakura grabbed her hand. "Let me go forehead!"

"Whatever you do don't touch him."

"Ooh, does Sakura have a new crush?"

Sakura glared at her blond friend. "Remember that skin disease Iruka-sensei told you about and how it wasn't contagious?"

Ino's eyes widened and she began shaking in fear. "Y-yeah."

Sakura couldn't help the smirk that spread across her face. She had found the perfect way to keep Naruto's secret. "Well he lied. If you touch Naruto's skin then you can get it too. That's why he wears all these clothes."

Ino immediately jerked her hand away. "Thanks for stopping me Sakura."

The pink haired girl smiled. "It's the least I could do after you and your team came to help me."

Ino smirked. "Hey don't get the wrong idea; I just couldn't let you show off for Sasuke-kun like that." The girls smiled at each other. "If you want I can fix your hair for you."

"I'd like that." She turned back to Naruto and patted his face with her gloved hand. "Naruto, please wake up."

The boy's eyes twitched and opened. She sighed in relief as she saw sparkling blue once more. "Sakura, what happened to you? How long have I been out?"

"You and Sasuke have both been out for about twenty-four hours, in which we were attacked by a team from sound. But everything's all right, I just got knocked around a bit, no big deal."

Naruto pushed himself off the ground and tentatively reached out to her ragged hair. "What happened to your hair?"

Sakura could see the guilt in his eyes and she knew he was blaming himself for what happened to her. "Oh I just figured that short hair would be more practical, so I cut it."

Naruto did not believe her but he smiled anyway. "I think it suits you."

Sakura had to fight down a blush. "Thanks Naruto, but it's a little choppy so Ino's going to fix it for me."

Naruto nodded. "I guess I'll go find my sunglass, Kashi's going to kill me if he has to get me another new pair so soon."

A few minutes later Naruto returned to the clearing, his glasses in place. Shikamaru, Chouji and Sasuke were sitting around talking quietly while Ino was fixing Sakura's hair with a kunai.

"Hey Naruto good to see you up." Chouji smiled warmly while Shikamaru continued looking up at the clouds.

Sasuke was looking at him oddly. "Why aren't you wearing your mask Naruto?"

His tone was accusing but no one could blame him, having been told the whole story and knowing how many times people had tried to impersonate Naruto. The blond sighed in irritation. "When I got blown away by that wind attack one of those giant snakes popped up and swallowed me. I got out by using Kage Bunshin but I was covered in slime. I took the mask off because I couldn't take the smell and I'm not putting it back on until it's washed about five times."

"How do we know you're telling the truth? That could be some elaborate story to gain our trust."

Naruto pulled off a glove and held out a hand. "Do you want to find out first hand whether or not I'm the real one?"

Sasuke looked at his bare hand with apprehension and shook his head.

Naruto smirked as he pulled his glove back on. "That's what I thought." He sat down with the rest of the boys, the girls following shortly afterward. "So what's the plan for the rest of the exam?"

Shikamaru sighed. "Well we are probably going to get back to finding another scroll in just a minute."

"We on the other hand are going to find a new place to set camp so that Sakura can rest. Then tomorrow we start looking for a heaven scroll."

Naruto looked at Sasuke in confusion. "I thought we needed an earth scroll."

"We did but Orochimaru burnt it after he knocked you out."

"Orochimaru?"

Sasuke sighed. "The grass nin was really a man named Orochimaru from sound. Now pay attention we'll fill you in later."

Naruto huffed in irritation and pouted like a child. "I hate being left in the dark."

"Anyway the sound nin, that attacked Sakura while we were both out, left their earth scroll in exchange for a safe retreat."

Naruto's pout disappeared and was replaced by a large grin. "That means we can head straight to the tower tomorrow!"

The others just looked at him like he was stupid and once again Sasuke was the one to speak. "What are you talking about dumb ass? We still need a heaven scroll."

"No we don't."

"Yes we do."

Naruto pulled something out of his supply pouch. "No, we don't." It was a heaven scroll.

Sakura's tired eyes widened in surprise. "Naruto where did you get that?"

The blond gave an impish smile. "I nicked it off another team before the exam started. At first I was going to put it back since it wasn't the one we needed, but then I figured it didn't hurt to have some extra insurance."

Sakura laughed out loud. "I should have known. After all Kakashi-sensei did tell us that you were a very skilled pick pocket."

Sasuke was about to join in on the laughter when something finally clicked in his mind. "Wait a minute. I recognize that face. You were the one that answered the door at Kakashi-sensei's house. You're the naked guy!"

This caused all of team ten's eyes to widen in shock and stare at Naruto. The poor blond boy's face sported a blush that rivaled one of Hinata's. "I wasn't naked!"

"You're the roommate Kakashi-sensei tricked into answering the door naked."

"I was wearing boxers!" By this time Sakura was fighting to stifle her laughter.

"How did I not see this? You and Kakashi-sensei know each other too well to just be teacher and student. You've been living together for years. That's how you got one of his Icha Icha books, and how he knew that you would answer the door naked if he told you it was somebody else."

"FOR THE LAST TIME I WAS NOT NAKED! I WAS WEARING BOXERS! BRIGHT ORANGE ONES! HOW CAN YOU MANAGE TO FORGET BRIGHT ORANGE?!"

By this point Sakura could not stifle her laughter anymore. "I can't believe you two are having this conversation." She gasped for air.

Sasuke once again ignored the fuming Naruto. "Why don't you seem more surprised about this Sakura? Did you know?"

"Of course she knew! She figured it out in Wave. Of course she also was able to notice the BRIGHT ORANGE BOXERS I was wearing when I opened the door that day."

Sasuke rounded on Sakura. "You knew all this time and you didn't tell me!"

The giggles were still coming. Even though the question was serious the situation was ridiculous. "It wasn't my secret to tell Sasuke."

Naruto hated being ignored, so he did the first thing that came to mind. He threw the heaven scroll at Sasuke's head. "LISTEN TO ME YOU DAMN TEME!!"

Sasuke turned around, eyes blazing. "What the hell was that for dobe!?"

Naruto's right eye was twitching violently behind his sunglasses at this time. He pointed to team ten. "I want you, to tell them, that I did not answer the door naked."

Sasuke scoffed. "Is that all? You were wearing those god awful orange boxers. So what?"

Naruto gave a small smile of content. "I just wanted them to know that I did not answer the door in my birthday suit."

"What does it matter?"

The glare Naruto sent Sasuke could have frozen fire. "How would you like it if I told the Sasuke fan club that you like to answer your door in the buff?"

Sasuke's eyes widened and he cringed. Then he did something none of them ever thought they would see. He crouched down into the fetal position and began rocking back and forth while muttering something about fan girls.

Through this entire scene team ten had been stunned into silence. There was no doubt in any of their minds that team seven had to be one of the strangest genin squads Konoha had seen.

When they finally left the odd team seven Sakura and Naruto had finally gotten Sasuke out of his stupor and set off to find a more suitable camping spot. Sasuke and Naruto left the clearing arguing like brothers.

**I know it took forever for me to update and I'm sorry, but I'm approaching finals now and my teachers are cracking down. I think this one turned out rather well, and since it took so long to update I made it reasonably long. Twenty-six pages to be exact.**

**Anyways, I'm also sorry that I haven't replied to any of the reviews from the last chapter. But I promise you all that I will be back to my usual sociable self in just a little while. After all my semester ends next week and then its Christmas vacation.**

**Ja ne.**

**Yooso**


	18. Chapter 18

**AHH! I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY I'M SORRY!**

**I had the worlds worst writers block over the break, I honestly think that it is avoiding work that gives me my creative flair. But I'm back and I apologize for the excruciatingly long wait. I decided to write an extra long chapter to make it up to you all.**

**Still don't own Naruto, but I'm working on it.**

Human Contact

SPLASH!!!

"HOT!!"

Naruto leapt out of the scalding water that fed the Konoha hot springs and glared daggers at his sun glass wearing tutor Ebisu. His black clothing that had once been comfortably baggy clung to his thin frame, steam billowing off them from the extreme heat of the hot springs.

"You know wearing all those clothes only makes it worse."

A growl emitted from Naruto's throat. He absolutely hated Ebisu. "You know damn well I can't take them off in public. Why do we have to train in the hot springs anyway? Can't find enough time to peek at girls on your own?"

Ebisu bristled at the accusation. "For your information the hot water will encourage you to get the technique right faster. It is not my fault that your control is so dismal, but I promised Kakashi that I would help you to the absolute best of my abilities and that is exactly what I am going to do. Now get out and try again. We cannot move on in your training until you have mastered water walking."

Naruto growled again as he pulled himself from the steaming water and began drawing his chakra to try water walking once more. He didn't know why but his chakra control had only become worse ever since the forest of death. As if that wasn't bad enough; the council had insisted that Kakashi give Sasuke private instruction for the third test, leaving him with Ebisu. He hated the ancient old prunes on the council with a passion, and he really didn't like that thieving Sharingan of Sasuke's much either.

Flashback no jutsu

Naruto stood on the balcony over the arena waiting to see who would be in the first match of the preliminaries. It seemed that few had run into the kind of adversity team seven had faced, because too many people passed for them all to go on to the third round.

Sasuke's name was the first to appear and then the name of one of Kabuto's teammates, Yoroi. Naruto frowned as he watched the two walk down to the ring. Kabuto had chosen to give up before the preliminaries. He would think that someone who had gone through the exam so many times before would be eager to move on to chuunin.

As if that weren't enough he was certain that Sasuke was in no condition to fight and he could tell that Kakashi felt the same way. Sasuke had been clutching at his neck in pain whenever he thought no one was looking ever since they had reached the tower a few days ago. Kakashi wanted to put a suppression seal on it but the process would take several days to recover from, and Sasuke refused to do it before the end of the exam.

The two opponents faced each other, both looking slightly cocky, completely sure in their abilities. There was no doubt in the young Uchiha's mind that he would be victorious even without the aid of his Sharingan, which he had been ordered by Kakashi not to use.

His opponent's hands began to glow a strange blue, but Sasuke did not worry about it. He was after all an Uchiha, and was certain he could handle whatever strange ability the older boy had. He charged forward to engage in taijutsu, and Yoroi smiled knowingly.

Sasuke threw a strong right hook but his wrist was grabbed by one of those glowing hands. He felt the affects of the strange jutsu immediately. As if all his strength was being drained away. With a titanic effort he wrenched himself away from the older boy.

The technique had drained his chakra. Sasuke had been foolish. He was fighting with a handicap to begin with and now it was doubtful if he had enough chakra for a decent Katon jutsu. The Uchiha grimaced. His only hope was taijutsu and the Uchiha's intercepting fist style was defensive. It was also much less effective without the Sharingan that he had been ordered not to use before the sealing. His opponent's hands were dangerous and he knew he needed a quick win as the mark on his neck began to throb.

Sasuke smirked as a plan came to mind. It was true that he could not risk using the Sharingan now, but that didn't mean he couldn't use what he had already copied. Once again he charged forward, for once glad that his opponent was larger. That gave him an advantage in the style he was about to use.

The older genin knew that he had this fight won, as he watched Sasuke recklessly charge in once again. He reached out the right hand to catch the left hook aimed at his face.

The Uchiha could only smile as his bait was taken. He thrust out his right palm connecting with Yoroi's outstretched wrist, knocking it harmlessly out of the way. Then in one fluid motion he spun inside the older boy's guard and slammed his left elbow upward into his unprotected throat. The momentum of the spin and the force of Sasuke's weight was enough to lift the taller boy a few inches off the ground, and he would have gone higher if Sasuke hadn't changed his direction.

With another quick half turn, Sasuke thrust his right palm into Yoroi's stomach sending him flying backward into the stone wall. Sasuke smiled as his opponent slipped down to the ground unconscious. Even with a handicap the Uchiha were a force to be reckoned with.

Everyone seemed thoroughly impressed with the Uchiha's strength, and only three of them knew the style he had used to end the match so quickly. Naruto's eyes were wide with shock and his fists clenched in anger. That had been his move. It wasn't even something he had been taught, but a move that he had spent ages creating and perfecting, molding into his own personal style. He had worked tirelessly making something that nobody else could claim as their own only to see it now, carelessly stolen but one of his best friends. Sasuke had never even asked if he could copy it.

Kakashi placed his hand on the angry blonde's shoulder. "Don't worry Naruto. Sasuke and I are going to have a little chat about stealing from comrades after I restrain that seal on him. Still your style is amazing to be so effective in the hands of someone that has never truly trained in it. I think it will deserve its own name soon."

Naruto grimaced. "Just make sure that teme understands the consequences of stealing other people's hard work."

Kakashi squeezed the boy's shoulder. "Oh don't worry. If words don't make him understand then I'll beat it into him. Now I better go and take care of that curse seal before it causes more problems. Just in case I don't make it back in time to watch your match: good luck and remember what I taught you."

Naruto smiled slightly. "Flashy techniques are all good and fun, but in the end it is the basics and a good strategy that wins the fight."

Kakashi smiled down at his surrogate son. "Right. Don't let that hard head of yours get in the way of the strong mind underneath it." He squeezed the boy's shoulder and gestured Sasuke to follow him. "Good luck to you too Sakura. Even if you're up against someone you think is stronger I want you to do your best. You have more power than you think."

With that said he walked out of the room with the Uchiha in tow. Sakura and Naruto were left to watch the rest of the matches and wait for their turns.

Flashback Kai

Kakashi hadn't made it back in time for Sakura's match but she still performed beautifully. Sure it had ended in a draw but Naruto knew that, had it not been for Ino's family jutsu, Sakura would have won. Her speed and strength had improved exponentially since the academy and Ino had taken several solid hits before attempting to take over Sakura's mind. It was a great trap and Sakura fell right into it, never once thinking that Ino would have used her own hair for a binding jutsu.

In the end it was a double knockout but on a certain level Sakura had won the fight. Not only had she proven herself as Ino's equal, she was also one of the few people to ever manage to break out of the Yamanaka Shinranshin no Jutsu.

Naruto stepped out onto the water once again, and managed to take two clumsy steps before falling in once more. Sakura may be considered the weakest member of team seven, but he sure wished he had her help now. He dragged himself out of the burning water for what must have been the fiftieth time that day. Underneath all those close his skin must look like a fully cooked lobster by now.

Ebisu seemed to be distracted by someone giggling. Naruto just scoffed and put his hands in the ram seal once again. "Pervert."

It wasn't until he heard the black clad jounin start yelling about peeping toms that he bothered to open his eyes. He did this just in time to see Ebisu flying through the air and landing in an unceremonious heap by the entrance. The only thing that could have made it better was if he had landed in the steaming water Naruto had been trying to walk on all day.

"You interrupted my research you brainless idiot!"

Once again Naruto's attention was drawn by the yelling. This time not to his airborne tutor, but to a very oddly dressed old man with a notebook and pencil. The small trickle of blood coming from his nose confirmed that this man was the peeping tom Ebisu had been screaming about.

"Oi! You just knocked out my sensie old man."

The white haired man glared down at the still sopping wet teen, obviously still angered about being caught in the act. "Well I suppose I just did you a great favor brat!"

Naruto scowled in irritation. He didn't have time for this, and he was already in a bad mood from falling into the hot water all day. "Normally I would agree with you, but I only have a month to train before the chuunin exam and I need to learn how to water walk."

"You're in the chuunin exams? What are they thinking you can't be a day over eleven."

The old man was getting on Naruto's already stretched nerves. "I'm thirteen. And who do you think you are talking to me like that?"

The old man gave a little smile and immediately broke into the most retarded little dance Naruto had ever seen, while boasting about himself. The introduction vaguely reminded Naruto of a truly horrible Kabuki imitation, and the only words that registered in his mind were Sanin, Gama Senin, and Jiraiya.

The man finally stopped his little dance after announcing his name, waving little flags in the air and standing on top of a large toad that looked rather embarrassed to be there. Naruto's eye twitched slightly behind his dark glasses while Jiraiya waited in his final pose, obviously expecting praise for his performance. "You are definitely as crazy as you look old man."

Jiraiya visibly wilted and started muttering about unappreciative brats, while his summons disappeared to drink away its mortification in its own world. "You did say that you were one of the Sanin though didn't you?"

Jiraiya immediately perked up; maybe this kid wasn't as hopelessly disrespectful as he first thought. "That's right. I am one of the legendary Sanin; taught by the Sandaime himself, and sensei of the great Yondaime."

Naruto nodded absentmindedly trying to stay on the very loud and self important old man's good side. "Good. Then since you're such a great ninja, and since you knocked out my sensei, you can teach me how to walk on water."

Jiraiya immediately scowled. "And why should I waist my time teaching a brat like you?"

Naruto smiled evilly beneath his mask. "Because if you don't teach me then I'll let all the girls in the onsen know that you were peaking. I'm sure that the kunoichi over there would love to get their hands on a pervert like you."

Jiraiya visibly paled. "You wouldn't dare."

The evil smile only grew bigger. "Try me."

The large man darted forward and crouched down so that he was eye to eye with the genin. He scowled as the kid he was trying so hard to intimidate didn't even flinch at the mild killing intent he was emitting. "You do realize that this is blackmail don't you? Not a very honorable way for a shinobi to win a fight."

Naruto's evil smile switched to a smirk. When things came down to underhanded dealing he always got what he wanted in the end. "I must have missed the chapter on honor in the shinobi handbook. Iruka sensei can tell you that I was never very attentive while in the academy."

Jiraiya grabbed onto Naruto's shirt, and for a brief moment the teen thought that he was in for the beating of a life time. "Alright you cocky little brat I'll teach you how to walk on water." With that said he picked Naruto up like a sack of potatoes and took of out of the hot springs. If he was going to teach this sneaky little brat anything he was going to do it in a place where the kid couldn't renege on their deal.

* * *

Naruto found himself trying to walk on a small river just outside of the village. This time his incentive to learn quickly was how cold the water was. It was definitely not a pleasant experience switching from one extreme to another. He griped as he dragged his sopping wet body out of the water yet again.

The old man watching him shook his head at the hopeless case before him. This kid obviously had no talent. He also lacked common sense. "Hey brat why don't you take off all those clothes? They only make falling into the water that much worse."

Naruto ignored him and once again focused his chakra. He stepped onto the water and managed three steps before his foot began to sink. Desperately he fought for control, managing to keep himself above water even though his feet were still submerged.

"You know dressing like a ninja wannabe is not going to improve your skills."

That comment of course made him lose his already strained concentration and once again he went plunging into the river. Splashing furiously he broke the surface and gasped for air, silently thanking Kakashi for teaching him to swim, he made his way back to shore.

"I am not taking off my clothes in a public place you pervert! So just shut up and let me concentrate!"

Jiraiya stood up, his impressive figure towering over Naruto's small one. "Don't you yell at me brat, I'm not the one who begged for help! Besides there is no point being embarrassed out here, because in case you haven't noticed I'm the only one around and I don't swing that way. Now take off that stupid outfit and try again!"

Naruto desperately wanted to talk back like he always did, but for once he chose to do the smart thing. He had already blackmailed the sannin and he didn't want to push his luck. So instead he began the painstakingly long task of removing his clothing until he stood in his boxers.

It was a strangely liberating experience being able to stand outside without being suffocated by fabric. For a moment Jiraiya and the upcoming exam disappeared. It was just him and the world. The sun beating down on him without a glass filter, the wind caressing his flesh, the ground beneath his bare feet; it was like a distant memory come to life, and for a moment he reveled in it.

Unfortunately the badly masked snickering dragged him out of his euphoria and he sharply turned to glare at Jiraiya with piercing blue eyes. "What are you laughing about old man?"

Jiraiya's snickers turned into full blown laughter. "Boxers!" He gasped for air. "Bright orange boxers!" He crouched down trying to calm his laughter and draw more air into his aching lungs.

Naruto scowled in irritation and his eye began to twitch slightly.

"With how you were dressed I figured that you would be in black boxers or tighty whities. But orange?"

The blonde's scowl did not lift. "There is nothing wrong with the color orange you old perv."

Jiraiya had managed to himself under enough control to speak without suffocating. "Sorry brat, it was just an unexpected shock after all that black. Now try again."

Naruto once again focused his chakra and stepped out onto the water. He was concentrating so hard on the wobbly steps he was taking that he didn't even notice the old man's sudden silence.

Jiraiya was staring at the now visible symbol on his stomach in awe. Out of all the people he could have run into in Konoha he had ended up with this boy. The old ninja's eyes swooped up from the seal on Naruto's stomach to his face. Messy blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes registered in his mind. It was almost like looking at an old picture of his apprentice. The two could have been twins if it weren't for the whisker marks on the boy's cheeks.

Naruto fell into the water again and swam back to shore muttering curses under his breath. This time when he climbed out it was to find the old man staring at him intently. "What's wrong with you perv? I thought you didn't swing that way?"

For once Jiraiya decided to ignore the boy's smart ass comment. "You know, I don't think I caught your name kid."

Naruto froze for just a second, but it was noticeable. He had neglected to tell Jiraiya his name for fear of being rejected as a demon, but it looked like the game was up now. "Naruto. My name is Uzumaki Naruto."

The answer was quiet and almost timid for the normally brash teen and he winced when Jiraiya's eyes widened slightly. The old man sighed and nodded a serious look on his face. "I see." His voice had lost the laughter it once held, and he pushed himself off the ground, suddenly looking his age. "Well Naruto it seems to me that something is interrupting the flow of your chakra. So I want you to close your eyes and draw on it so that I can see what you're doing wrong."

Naruto was hesitant to close his eyes, but the old man did not exude hatred. In fact it was almost as if there was sadness and understanding there. So he closed his eyes and began to draw upon his power.

Jiraiya crouched in front of the small teen and stared intently at the intricate seal appearing on the boy's stomach. His student Minato had truly done a wonderful job on his last work of genius. But someone had tampered with it. Someone had placed a five pronged seal around the original, and it was causing the Kyuubi's chakra to mix with the boy's at an unstable rate. No wonder Naruto was having so much difficulty learning how to walk on water. It was amazing that he had managed to get as far as he had.

Jiraiya deftly prepared the counter seal. It was true that this interference was crude but he knew of only a few people that could perform such a seal, and he had a pretty good idea which one did it.

Without a single word of warning Jiraiya thrust his hand forward digging his fingers into Naruto's stomach. Naruto opened his eyes in shock and cried out in surprise and pain as he fell back from the force of the blow. Once again blue eye's narrowed into a glare as he looked up at the sannin, but Jiraiya was not paying attention.

His eyes were wide in shock as his hand went down to his own stomach. Perhaps it was his imagination, but he could have sworn that he felt that hit. It took a few moments for him to register the cursing Naruto. "Shut up brat! I was just removing the seal that was interrupting your chakra flow. Now try water walking again. I think you'll find it a bit easier this time."

Naruto gave an irate huff and once again focused his chakra, this time keeping his eyes opened to make sure Jiraiya didn't pull anything else.

Yet again he stepped out onto the water, prepared for the usual feeling of unbalance, but this time it didn't come. He could feel the cold water slowly flowing under his feet and yet it felt as stable as solid ground. He took a few tentative steps only to find the same thing. His next steps were a little surer and still he did not fall in. Soon he was running around on the river as if it were solid as rock.

He turned to Jiraiya and beamed with pride, his fox like grin practically taking up his whole face. "I did it! What ever the hell you did sure worked."

Jiraiya nodded distractedly. "Yeah, yeah kid. Now I kept my end of the bargain so I'm off."

Naruto was so shocked that he almost fell into the water again. "What! You can't just leave me here. What about my training?"

Jiraiya turned sharply. "The deal was that I would help you learn how to walk on water. I never said anything about training you."

"But you knocked out my sensei, what else am I supposed to do?"

"Your sensei should be just fine by now so I suggest you go and bother him. I have only ever taught one student and there is no way that I am taking on a new one just because of blackmail. Now if you'll excuse me I have important business to attend to."

With that said Jiraiya turned and walked away briskly, ignoring the colorful curses that were being flung at him from behind. How a thirteen year old boy had managed to achieve such language was beyond him, but he had a Hokage to speak with.

* * *

The old Hokage was enjoying a rare moment. His paperwork was complete, he had no more meetings and he was left alone to read one of his favorite books. The little orange book of smut that was usually hidden away in his desk finally made it out into the open air. Sarutobi was dieing to find out what happened in chapter thirteen.

"Glad to see you are enjoying my book sensei."

The old man turned sharply towards the window to find his overly perverted student. "Jiraiya what brings you to my office at this time? I would think that you would be busy collecting your research at the hot springs."

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"Oh." Sarutobi place his book back in its usual desk drawer, it seemed that chapter thirteen would have to wait until later. "I take it you met him today."

"Yeah, the little brat blackmailed me into teaching him how to walk on water."

The Hokage chuckled. "How did he do?"

Jiraiya got down from his perch on the window sill. "At first glance I would tell you that kid is a no talent hack who is trying way too hard to look like a real ninja. He could barely take two steps before he fell into the water. But after I removed the seal Orochimaru put on him…"

The Hokage bolted up from his relaxed position. "You mean he put a seal on Naruto too?"

"Yes. It was crude and done quickly but it was causing the fox's chakra to mix with the boy's at an unnatural rate. It was fortunate that I bumped into him before it caused some irreversible damage. After the seal was gone he took to water walking like a bird to the sky.

Jiraiya leaned casually against the wall as his old teacher began to relax again. "Truth be told I was amazed that he was able to mold chakra at all with that seal on him. But the thing that really gets me is that when I removed the seal, I swear I felt it. It was only for a second but I felt like I had just been punched in the stomach by Tsunade. Then as soon as I took my hand away the pain was gone, as if it had never been there."

The old Sarutobi sighed and began preparing his pipe. He needed some tobacco in his system for this one. Sake would be better but he made a point of not keeping the stuff in his office. "The reason the pain faded so quickly is because it was never there. For you at least."

Jiraiya sat down in a chair as the old man lit his pipe and took a long drag. "You see on Naruto's tenth birthday he was attacked by a villager and almost killed." The white haired Sannin's fist clenched. "On that night the Kyuubi decided to give Naruto an ability that would increase the odds of his survival. We call this ability the Kagyaku and we are passing it off as a bloodline although I doubt it will be passed on. Whenever Naruto touches someone they experience all the pain and suffering he has been through in his life."

Jiraiya's eyes widened as he finally began to understand the strange child. "So that's why he wears all those clothes."

The Hokage nodded sadly. "Although usually it is just his memories that are transferred, not what is happening to him at that moment. Perhaps by messing with the Yondaime's seal, Orochimaru also changed the Kagyaku."

Jiraiya shrugged, pondering the unknown had never been his forte. "You know that kid asked me to teach him."

The Hokage looked up in surprise. "And what did you say."

"I told him I only ever taught one student and he didn't compare."

The old man frowned in disappointment. "Of course he can't compare. Naruto may look an awful lot like Minato, but he is his own person. Naruto is a young boy who has had to deal with more than most adults. This village has thrown everything at him and still he wants to be Hokage so that he can protect everyone and make sure other children don't suffer."

Jiraiya held up his hand to stop his sensei's tirade. "I only said he couldn't compare. That kid could become even greater some day, and I intend to help him."

There were few times that the Hokage was this proud of his most perverted student. "Then I can say that I trained two Hokages!" And this was not one of those times.

* * *

When Naruto got home that evening it was to an empty house. He hated the council more than ever as he was forced to sit down to a solitary meal of ramen. It was strange not having Kakashi there to nag him about eating something healthier. For three years the Jounin's only mission had been the protection and training of Naruto; and now suddenly he was gone for an entire month, training the last Uchiha on the council's orders.

The last time Naruto had gotten to see him was at the small dinner to celebrate his success in the preliminaries.

Flashback no Jutsu

Kakashi had managed to make it back in time to see Naruto's match against Kiba, although Sasuke had been sent to the hospital. He couldn't have been happier as he watched his student's performance, especially since he could rub it in Naruto's face later.

Over and over during training Naruto had whined about having to learn to fight without his eyes. The blond despised being forced to rely on things like scent, sound, and touch, but Kakashi knew better. The eyes were what humans rely upon the most and were also the easiest to trick with a genjutsu. Ninja often operated under cover of darkness so it was best to get all of Naruto's senses as strong as possible.

From the very beginning of this training Naruto's hearing had been incredible and he had been able to find his food without trouble by smell alone, although that had probably been because it was ramen. The only problem was touch, for Naruto lacked the concentration necessary to feel vibrations in the ground. Kakashi was pretty positive that earth was not the boy's strongest element. So Kakashi had made Naruto focus on his hearing until he could react to things on sound alone.

Naruto of course constantly told him that this was a useless skill and he would rather learn a new jutsu. Never mind the fact that jutsu were pointless if they couldn't hit their target.

Now here he was fighting against a cocky Inuzuka who enjoyed using smoke bombs to disorient his opponents. Never again would Kakashi have to listen to how stupid it was to strengthen the other senses.

Inside the cloud of smoke Kiba was getting frustrated. He had absolutely no problem finding Naruto with his enhanced sense of smell but some how his masked friend kept dodging. It was almost as if he could see through the smoke.

Kiba jumped away as the smoke cleared. There stood Naruto without a scratch on him. The Inuzuka growled in irritation. "What, are you hiding some kind of dojutsu under those sunglasses of yours?"

Naruto laughed a little bit which only made Kiba angrier. "It's flattering that you think that Kiba but my eyes are no more special than yours."

"Then how do you keep dodging me?"

Naruto had been paying so much attention to Kiba that he almost didn't hear Akamaru coming at him from behind. He quickly ducked and rolled to the side to avoid the little nin dog's teeth. "You may have a powerful nose Kiba, but unless you learn how to attack silently my ears will always catch you."

Kiba let out an animalistic growl as he used the Shikyaku no Jutsu to increase his speed. Then he and his dog Akamaru activated the Juujin Bunshin so that Naruto was facing two rather animalistic Kibas instead of one.

Again smoke bombs were thrown. Naruto closed his eyes allowing his ears to take control. When he first heard Kiba shout out his attack he was confused, he had no idea what kind of attack the Gatsuuga was. Needless to say he was shocked when he heard the rapidly spinning air coming at him from two different directions.

Over and over he dodged the attack sometimes just barely managing to avoid it. He was fortunate that it was loud as hell but it was also fast so it was no surprise when his luck finally ran out.

One of the spinning vortexes grazed his stomach as he bent out of the way. It was only a glancing blow but still both clothes and skin were torn. He gasped in pain and fell backwards clutching his bleeding stomach. He was so preoccupied with his own discomfort that he didn't notice the yelp of shock and pain that came from his attacker.

When the smoke cleared the spectators were finally able to see the results of Kiba's attack. Naruto was doubled over on his knees, clutching his stomach in apparent agony. Akamaru had transformed back into a small puppy and was starring at Naruto shaking and whimpering in fear. Kiba on the other hand was fine, if a bit pissed off.

"What did you do to Akamaru!?"

Naruto was only able to offer a gasp of pain in response.

This of course did not satisfy Kiba. Not when it came to his precious canine companion. He marched up to his injured opponent intent on getting his answers. "Answer me Naruto! What did you do to him?"

With speed and agility someone suffering from a severe abdominal wound should not be able to achieve, Naruto lunged forward and landed a vicious chakra covered fist in Kiba's gut. The animalistic teen went flying back into the side of the arena with such force that he coughed up blood. Beneath his thick jacket the skin was a raw red from chakra burns. A testament to how much power the Uzumaki had packed into that hit.

Naruto stood up tall. His revealed stomach was perfectly fine, if slightly pink with new skin. "You should know better than to let your guard down like that Kiba." The Inuzuka was forcing himself to continue fighting. Naruto simply smiled and formed a hand sign that Kiba did not recognize. "Your dog is perfectly fine, just a little shaken. But you were foolish to let your feelings for him cloud your judgment."

Kiba let out a snarl and charged with his enhanced speed. The brash young man didn't even pause to consider that Naruto had already prepared for this with that single hand sign. The black clad genin stood stock still right in front of him, an easy target, so everyone could imagine his surprise when another Naruto appeared on his left sending him skyward with a fierce kick.

As if that wasn't enough three more powerful kicks hit him from the right, front and back in quick succession. Then Naruto, using one of his clones as a spring board, appeared above the Inuzuka sending him crashing down to the floor with a vicious axe kick to the back of the head.

Kiba hadn't stood a chance. True Naruto hadn't known about poor Akamaru until the smoke had cleared, but he did know that Kiba was a close range fighter with enough arrogance not to use a special move on an injured opponent. So he had faked it, managing to look pathetic until the opportune moment to strike. Then, as all great pranksters do, he kept one final move hidden away in plain sight.

That night Kakashi had thrown him a small party in congratulations. He had walked into their small house to be tackled by Kakashi's nin dogs. It was a rare treat when the Cyclops summoned them just for fun as summons were the only living beings that Naruto could always touch without consequence, not having a true body on this plane of existence and all.

Naruto spent about an hour playing with Pakkun and the others, grateful for that brief moment of normalcy. Then Kakashi had taken him out for Ichiraku Ramen. Finally they ended the night of festivities with Naruto completely slaughtering Kakashi, Iruka and the Hokage in fifteen hands of poker.

The next morning Kakashi left early, after first making Naruto promise to eat something other than Ramen while he was gone. The Jounin seemed loath to leave the thirteen year old on his own but the council had been particularly insistent. He had been forced to agree after they threatened to relieve him of his duties as Naruto's guardian.

Of course after hearing that Naruto could hardly blame Kakashi or Sasuke for his current lack of parental figure. He could however rant and rave about the senile idiots on the council while silently plotting his revenge.

Flashback Kai

Naruto had yet to exact his revenge on those old buffoons. Perhaps tomorrow he would get in some stealth training by stealing all their underwear and spreading it around the village before he went searching for Ebisu. He didn't really want to return to the closet pervert, but after Jiraiya's refusal to continue training him he didn't have much choice. It was also doubtful that he would get away with blackmailing a Sannin again.

Naruto looked at his empty bowl of Ramen and sighed. He grabbed an apple from the bowl of fruit on the table and took a bite. It was sad that he missed Kakashi enough to eat something healthy by choice.

It took Naruto forever to fall asleep that night. The house was so quiet and empty. The loneliness forcibly reminded him of his days before Kakashi. Over the past three years he had become dependent on the perv's presence. Naruto looked up at the stars wishing that the council didn't exist; he didn't know when he finally fell asleep.

* * *

It was six in the morning and Jiraiya was standing over the sleeping blonde's bed observing the teen's room with interest. He was rather surprised by the glass ceiling at first but then felt stupid as there had to have been some way for the boy to get so tan. Then he noticed the potted plants all around the room. They all looked well cared for and not one of them was poisonous, proving that they were there solely for the love of gardening. Finally he noticed that the thirteen year old sleeping soundly before him was nude.

He allowed himself a wicked grin. His student to be was smart mouthed little brat who liked to sleep in the buff. The possibilities for embarrassment were endless. Though he had to veer away from all the ideas of sneaking a naked woman into the kid's bed due to the Kagyaku; but that didn't mean he couldn't take embarrassing photographs.

Pulling himself out of his daydreams he prodded the sleeping boy with his toe, being sure to only touch what was covered by the blankets. He certainly wasn't in the mood for another lesson in empathy. Naruto gave a snort as his rest was interrupted and bolted upright holding the kunai he always kept under his pillow.

"Calm down kid. We've got work to do."

Sleepy blue eyes became more alert as he looked up at the old man. He yawned and stretched as he stood up, uncaring of his state of undress. "What are you doing here?"

Jiraiya simply watched as the boy slowly pulled on a pair of boxers. These ones were a sedate green rather than orange but they compensated by being covered in brightly colored frogs. "How long have you been sleeping with a kunai under your pillow?"

Naruto picked up a watering can and began tending to his beloved plants. "Since I was seven, and you still haven't answered my question."

"I spoke to the Hokage yesterday and he has agreed to let me teach you."

Naruto looked up from his pot of violets. "I thought you only ever taught one student."

"Normally yes, but after hearing about your special circumstances I changed my mind. You are a very interesting person Uzumaki Naruto."

The blonde stiffened and slammed the water can onto a table. He walked over to the kitchen glaring coldly at Jiraiya. The Sannin followed quietly and simply watched as the boy prepared breakfast, trying hard not to show his anger.

It wasn't until he was carrying the milk over to his cereal that he snapped slamming the carton onto the table. "Listen you old perv! I know why you changed your mind; and I don't care how famous you are or how many Hokages you've trained! Uzumaki Naruto is not anyone's lab rat. Now I suggest you leave my home before I Kagyaku you so bad that you'll sleep with a night light for the rest of your miserable life!"

All in all Naruto's speech was rather impressive but the effect was ruined by Jiraiya's laughter. "You sure got guts kid." The ninja sat down, quickly bringing his laughter under control. "It's true that your ability is interesting but I've never been much of a fan of bloodlines. I'm interested in two things about you: The fact that you don't use your ability for revenge, and the sheer raw power you posses."

Naruto stared at him in amazement. The Jiraiya of the Sannin wanted to teach him, and not because he had some screwed up bloodline. "Eat your breakfast brat. We've got a lot of work to do if you want to be ready for the chuunin exam."

Naruto suddenly remembered the cereal sitting before him and poured the milk. He was about to take his first bite when he remembered what it was that he had wanted to do that morning. "Aw man! I was going to prank the council of elders today."

Jiraiya looked at the boy in shock. "You were going to prank the elders?"

Naruto shoveled some of the cereal into his mouth his lack of manners showing as he chose to speak around it. "Yeah they threatened to take my guardian Kakashi away if he didn't give Uchiha Sasuke exclusive training for the exam. So I was going to steal their underwear and spread it around Konoha."

Jiraiya grinned deviously. This boy was definitely his father's son. "I don't see why we can't do a bit of stealth training before we get to the real deal. If you can pull this off without getting caught then I'll even teach you a super powerful technique."

Naruto looked up, his eyes shining in excitement. "Do you mean a bet?"

Jiraiya's eye twitched. It was just his luck that his new student would have a gambling problem. He just hoped the kid's luck was better than Tsunade's. "Why are you so keen on making it a bet?"

Naruto smirked. "Because if it's a bet I'll be learning that new jutsu by noon. When it comes to me there is only one thing that is always certain, I never lose a bet."

Jiraiya was pleased to find that Naruto had not been lying about his luck when it came to gambling. The prank had gone off without a hitch and he had to say that the boy was incredibly good at stealth. So by noon they were heading over to the same little clearing in the forest surrounding Konoha.

"So before I teach you this amazing technique, I'd like to know who you are most worried about facing."

Naruto nodded. "Well first and foremost I have to beat Hyuuga Neji. I can go home happy as long as I bring that bastard down."

"You seem pretty determined to beat this kid. Why is that?"

"In the preliminaries he almost killed one of my best friends. She's his cousin Hyuuga Hinata and one of the kindest people you could ever know. He completely crushed her, even going for a juuken strike to her heart. He called her weak but in the end she was the one who refused to stop fighting against a much more powerful opponent, that isn't weakness."

Jiraiya looked at the boy in interest. "I didn't like him from the very beginning of their fight, blaming all his problems on fate. He told her that people could not change, couldn't become better. He ripped apart what little confidence she has and still she fought, and he had the gall to call her weak. I promised myself that I would defeat him for her, and prove that people can change."

Jiraiya nodded. "You seem very determined about this one. Hinata must be a very good friend."

Naruto nodded sadly. "I don't have very many friends due to both of my conditions so the ones I do have mean everything to me. Plus Hinata is like me in a way. She needs to believe that people can change; needs to believe that one day she will be able to make her father proud. I just want to show her that Neji is wrong."

Jiraiya nodded. "Is there anyone else you are worried about?"

"Well there is Aburame Shino. We were never very close in the academy simply because he doesn't talk much, but he uses these bugs that eat chakra. I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to fight that. Then there is Sasuke, he used a taijutsu move that he copied from me to win his fight and I'm worried he'll do it again. Then there's …"

Naruto paused. He seemed uncomfortable talking about the last one that worried him. Jiraiya gestured for him to continue.

"His name is Sabaku no Gaara, and he's from Suna. He uses sand to fight and is completely brutal. He seems to enjoy killing. My friend Rock Lee fought him and almost brought him down, but in the end Gaara crushed his arm and leg. Lee would have died if his teacher Maito Gai hadn't intervened. Even so the doctors say that Lee will never fight again."

Jiraiya nodded. "This one frightens you."

"Yes."

The old man could fully understand why Naruto was afraid of Gaara. "And if it comes to fighting him, will you be able to?"

Naruto nodded. "If there is one thing I'm used to, it's being afraid."

"That's good to hear because I can't help you if you're going to run away every time something scares you. Now the technique I'm going to teach you will be particularly effective against your Aburame problem, and it's something the Uchiha can't copy."

Naruto looked excited. "What is it? What is it!"

"Calm down kid. I'm going to teach you how to summon toads."

Naruto's eyes widened in amazement. "You mean like what Kakashi does with Pakkun and the other dogs?"

Jiraiya waved his hand in dismissal of the kid's comparison. "Please those dogs have nothing on toads. I will admit that they are great for tracking but toads are great for information gathering, sending messages and their damn useful in battle. They are a greater summon so they come in a much wider variety."

"Alright let's get this started!"

* * *

Kakashi and Sasuke stood atop the mountain they were using as a training spot. The young Uchiha was getting pushed to the limits and still his ego had to be broken. "Tell me Sasuke, what is the Sharingan to you?"

"The Sharingan is an all powerful tool with which to defeat your enemies."

"Wrong!" Kakashi lashed out sending the boy to the ground with a fierce kick to the head. "The Sharingan is a tool that is used to protect those around you and it should not be used foolishly.

"The Sharingan should be used as a trump card if the fight is going badly or if you are worried about those around you. To become dependent on your bloodline will make you weak. As the last loyal Uchiha it is your job to change the ways of the clan. You must become a strong fighter both with and without those precious eyes of yours and teach your decendents to do the same. Fast eyes can only do so much if your body cannot keep up."

Sasuke dragged himself off the ground and nodded in understanding.

"Now who do we copy from?"

"Anyone we can."

This time it was a powerful punch to the stomach that made him crouch over gasping for air. "Wrong again. The Sharingan is a thief's tool. You may be able to use the jutsu that you copy but you will not have learned it so you will never fully understand it and be able to use it to its full potential. We steal from our enemies and never our allies."

Sasuke looked like he was about to protest.

"No! In the chuunin exams you used one of Naruto's moves. True it won you the battle but it cost you something much greater! Naruto's trust. By copying that move without asking you not only disgraced the style you insulted a comrade."

"What do you mean? Surely Naruto understands that it was necessary. I would have lost if I hadn't done something!"

Kakashi sighed and shook his head. "What Naruto understands is that you are willing to do anything it takes to win. Even steal from a friend. You see Sasuke, you copied that move without even asking completely disrespecting your teammate. That style you so casually copied is Naruto. He has spent years of hard work creating and perfecting it, then you come along and copy it within seconds.

"Had you only asked Naruto would have been glad to help you get stronger by teaching you. The reason we don't steal from our allies is because we don't have to."

Sasuke looked rather depressed. "I honestly didn't think he would mind."

"That's just it Sasuke, everyone minds. The thing that makes the Sharingan so powerful is that by using it in battle you are mocking your opponent, and tearing their confidence to shreds."

Sasuke nodded in understanding. "Do you think Naruto will forgive me?"

"Naruto is probably still very upset with you but he was never very good at holding grudges. I'm sure he'll be just fine once you apologize to him. Although I suggest you not use his style again until you learn it properly from the source."

Again Sasuke nodded. "Did Naruto really come up with those moves all on his own?"

Kakashi smiled as his student began to understand the gravity of what he had done. "More or less, I've shown him a few things from different styles and helped him fine tune some of his moves. But in the end that style is something that only belongs to him, and when he finishes I know it will be something to see."

* * *

The day of the chuunin finals arrived much sooner than Naruto originally thought it would. The newly dubbed ero-sennin had kept him busy over the weeks. The old man had been delighted to find out that not only could Naruto do the Kage Bunshin, but he and Kakashi had figured out the advantage of using them in a training regimen that only Naruto could use.

So each morning the old pervert would wake Naruto up at five in the morning. He would then create twenty clones to continue practicing both chakra control exercises while he ran around the village with at least fifty pounds of extra weight. This was increased every few days because of his healing ability. After the run he had to go through the torture of other conditioning exercises like sit ups, push ups, punches and kicks.

Only after this torture was he finally allowed breakfast. Then he would have twenty new clones working on weapons accuracy while he sparred with ero-sennin. During these spars he was not allowed to retaliate, only to dodge and or block without touching the man's fingers. Jiraiya didn't go very easy on him so he ended up with a lot of bruises. Afterwards he was allowed a half hour break to lick his wounds.

When he asked about this particular part of the training Jiraiya had laughed at his stupidity before answering. "You saw the fight between those two Hyuuga. Their attacks involve soft, fast strikes with the palms and fingers that pushes needlelike chakra into your system. The only way to fight against that at close range is to not get hit."

It had made sense and so after his midmorning break he sparred with several clones in order to incorporate these blocks and dodges into his natural taijutsu style. After lunch though came the hard part. Naruto had to learn to summon frogs, and Jiraiya wanted him to use the Kyuubi's chakra to do it. So Naruto had to waist all the chakra he could before attempting the jutsu. He consistently summoned tadpoles.

During this part of his training Jiraiya had a tendency to wonder off and go peeking. So left to his own devices Naruto began to experiment with his own rather large chakra capacity. At first the results had only been slightly better; a tadpole that had grown legs, but after a few tries he was able to consistently summon Gammakichi, a small smart mouthed toad with a taste for sweets.

Jiraiya had been rather pleased to find this out and promptly had Naruto use more of his own chakra to summon a larger toad. He was soon able to summon one that came up to around his chest and Jiraiya had made him summon that toad again and again until it became second nature. After that he had been forced to return to trying to draw on Kyuubi's chakra.

This part of the training was most unpleasant as it involved Jiraiya pushing an unsuspecting Naruto into a very deep and wet ravine. Naruto had managed to save himself by using the fox's chakra to summon the toad boss Gamabunta but had then foolishly made a bet that he could stay on the toads back until the sun went down.

Naruto had held on through sheer determination but in the end his impressive stamina gave out just before the sun disappeared. Fortunately Gamabunta was impressed and agreed to being summoned every now and then.

Jiraiya had taken him to the hospital where Naruto spent the final days of the month recuperating. When Jiraiya stopped by to congratulate him on not dieing during his training Naruto had thrown anything and everything he could get his hands on; including the hospital bed, forcibly reminding the old man of his female teammate.

After that Jiraiya figured it would be a good idea to fully explain himself to the perturbed blond. The conditioning had been simple enough; Naruto had to build up his speed if he wanted to avoid Neji's strikes and Gaara's sand. Being forced to summon the medium size toad consistently would be pivotal if he had to face Shino as the toad was the natural enemy of insects. Finally he had pushed Naruto into the ravine to get rid of the mental block Naruto had when it came to using Kyuubi's chakra. This way if Naruto happened to have his tenketsu closed off by Neji or ran out of chakra in any of his fights, he would have a second much larger source to tap into.

These explanations definitely helped to calm Naruto down although he did issue a rather venomous threat to Jiraiya's manhood if he ever tried anything like that again. The old man left rather shaken by his new student, but had learned enough about Naruto over the weeks not to take him too seriously. There was no doubt in his mind that he would end up putting Naruto in such a situation again.

**Alright that's it! I couldn't bring myself to go through all of the preliminaries. It was pivotal to the story that there not be any major changes to it so I decided to tell about the important ones in flashback, all the other fights were the same.**

**I finally brought in Jiraiya and I brought back the much loved boxers. People seem very entertained by that for some reason. I'm also very glad that I got to have Kakashi literally beat some sense into Sasuke while speaking out against the emphasis on bloodlines. I mean honestly there must be a reason that there has never been a Hyuuga or Uchiha Hokage. Only the Shodaime had what you could call a bloodline, though it wasn't passed on, and none of the Sannin have one. You can obviously become strong without using genetics as a crutch.**

**Enough of my ranting though. Some people have been asking about the lack of jutsu for Naruto. I'm one of those people that feels jutsu aren't anywhere near as important as technique which is what I feel Kakashi would have concentrated on. After all the only times he really uses anything fancy is when he's copying it from someone else. Although Naruto does know one more technique that I haven't told you about yet.**

**In thanks for your patience and loyalty to my story this chapter is a whopping 41 pages. I have never written a chapter this long before in my life and hopefully will never feel the need to again. Next chapter is of course the start of the chuunin exams. I hope you enjoyed this one and I will try to have the next out within the next two weeks.**

**Ja ne**

**Yooso**


	19. Chapter 19

**I'm not dead I promise. This was just a very difficult chapter for me to write. I had to change it multiple times to get it right. I could have gotten it up sooner but I know you guys don't want to read something I've half assed. **

**I don't own Naruto.**

Human Contact

The stadium was packed. Sakura couldn't remember the last time she had seen so many people in one place. She wasn't surprised though, this year's exam promised to be a good one and she knew that lots of people were dieing to see the last loyal Uchiha fight. In truth Sakura was just as excited to see the matches and more than a little nervous.

She hadn't seen either of her teammates since the preliminaries. Sasuke had seemingly fallen off the face of the planet after he disappeared from the hospital, and Kakashi had gone with him. Every so often she would catch sight of Naruto in the village but he always seemed in such a rush that she hadn't approached him. And so she had been left to her own devices the entire month.

At first she had sulked. The pink haired girl despised being alone and she felt completely useless. It wasn't until she visited Lee at the hospital that she was able to knock some sense back into herself. The taijutsu user's body had been damaged beyond repair in his fight against Gaara and still he fought.

It was painful to see the injured boy struggling to do push ups even though it had been confirmed that his career as a shinobi was over. Seeing such determination made her feel inadequate, but at the same time invigorated. Lee had fought hard to save her life in the Forest of Death, the least she could do was pay him back by becoming as strong as she could be.

So Sakura spent her month training. Fortunately Kakashi had left her with a schedule designed to increase chakra capacity and stamina. The exercises were hell for her, and her mother became very worried when she started coming home so tired every evening. But still she soldiered on and she couldn't wait to show Naruto and Sasuke just how much she had improved. Deep down she knew that she still couldn't compare to the boys, but she'd be damned if she was going to let them leave her behind.

Ino called out to her from a few rows down, and Sakura gladly joined her and Chouji. The blonde smiled as one of her only female friends sat down. Chouji seemed baffled, for everyone in their class new of the rivalry between the two. It wasn't his fault that he didn't understand their relationship though; few boys could understand the complexities of girl world.

"So Sakura how do you think Naruto and Sasuke are going to do in their matches?"

"Well I'm a bit worried about how Sasuke is going to handle that Gaara guy, but I'm sure Kakashi-sensei prepared him for it. I'm confident about Naruto though."

Ino looked very surprised. "Are you sure Sakura? I don't mean to put down Naruto or anything but Neji was the rookie of the year last year."

Sakura just smiled. "I don't know if Naruto is stronger than Neji, but I do know that he always manages to do something unexpected. How do you think Shikamaru will do?"

Ino gave a very unladylike snort. "I'd be surprised if that lazy ass even showed up. However he is the only one of us who made it this far, so the least we can do is be here to support him."

Sakura laughed, and the two girls continued to chatter aimlessly while Chouji kept snacking.

Down on the stadium floor the competitors were starting to filter in. Naruto stood just outside the stadium doors trying to calm his nerves. He wasn't worried about the tournament, no he had trained too hard to worry about that, he was worried about how he would be received by the crowd.

He knew full well how the village saw him. He knew that to them he was still the demon brat. True there had not been an assassination attempt in years but that was only due to increased protection and fear. Naruto had a plan to change Neji's mind for Hinata, but he did not know how the spectators would respond to it.

Even though he was scared he could not turn back. He had spent hours meditating in the hospital. First trying to speed up his ability to contact the Kyuubi, and then trying to persuade the giant fox to talk to him. He had thought that getting a being that had spent the last thirteen years in a cage without speaking to anyone to talk to would be easy, but the Kyuubi turned out to be a stubborn bastard. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought he would one day get into shouting matches with the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

In the end, his first attempt at conversation left the Kyuubi laughing raucously. When he came back into his mindscape later that night it was to find the Kyuubi still in hysterics, which of course led to another fight. Naruto was probably the only human in history to get into an all out shouting match, complete with insults, with the giant fox and live to tell the tale.

In the end Naruto finally got what he wanted out of the fox by forcing himself to keep his temper. It turned out that after their earlier arguments the fox, though still breaking out into random cackling, had an amused respect for its teenage jailor. Not that that made him any more forthcoming with information. In the end the only things Naruto had been able to get out of him was a promise of power when it was needed and a little knowledge about the Kagyaku.

Apparently after Orochimaru put the seal on Naruto's stomach the Kyuubi had decided to change it while the boy's power was so unstable. Naruto learned that the Kagyaku could now transfer what he was feeling at that moment as well as memories. He also learned that if he concentrated hard enough he could chose which memories and feelings he wanted to transfer.

So Naruto's plan was formulated. He would change the way that Neji thought. Change the way he saw Hinata. Prove that people could change by first changing him. He would do it for his friend, consequences be damned.

He took a deep breath and finally entered the stadium. There was no turning back now, he had made his decision. It was packed with restless spectators, and Naruto felt his stomach turn with nerves. He had known that people would be watching but he had never imagined the shear size of the audience.

A small part of him wanted to run into a corner and start hyperventilating. He had never really been fond of crowds, and having the Kagyaku only made it worse. Again he started to second guess his plan, but he then he thought of Hinata standing in the middle of a ring, barely able to stand and coughing up blood. He held his head up high and joined the other fighters in the center of the ring.

Their proctor was a man named Genma, who stood before them chewing on a senbon in boredom. Naruto looked over to see Sasuke standing there with that look of cool indifference. He was surprised that the Uchiha had made it on time, what with spending an entire month with Kakashi, but he was glad that his chronically late sensei would see his match. He was so nervous that he didn't even hear the Hokage's speech.

Genma cleared his throat and held up a piece of paper. "There have been some changes to the fight order. I suggest you all double check your matches before we start."

All the finalists looked at the list in surprise. Apparently something had happened to the genin of sound, for he was no longer in the line up. But that was not the only change. Sasuke's match was supposed to be right after Naruto's, but for some reason his match had been moved to the end of the first round.

The two teammates looked at each other in confusion. Both knew that a lot of people were there to see Sasuke's fight, but this was ridiculous. It was easy to tell that the fight had been moved to build up anticipation.

"Alright, now that you have seen the changes will all fighters except Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Neji exit the ring." The two boys watched each other calmly as the others filed out to the observation deck. Blank white eyes met expressive blue for a moment, before Naruto pushed his shades back up his nose. He vaguely thought about asking Shino how he kept his sunglasses so perfectly in place.

The Hyuuga flipped his long black hair behind his shoulder, making a number of gender confusion related insults run through Naruto's head. He bit them back, this was serious.

"It's useless you know."

Naruto finally jerked his mind away from the insults still running rampant through his head. "What was that?"

Neji's eye twitched in irritation but he quickly composed himself. "You should just give up right now. Fate has already decided that I will win this fight."

Naruto's eyebrow rose, he could not hold his tongue any longer. "Wow do you work part time at the psychic hotline or something? Because telling the future isn't a gift you should keep to yourself."

"Laugh all you want but that does not change that you are fated to lose today."

Naruto snorted. "Well forgive me for not shaking in my boots Miss Cleo. But fate seems to have had it out for me since the day I was born. I prefer to trust my future to Lady Luck, for she is infinitely kinder."

Neji snorted. "There is no such thing as luck. Everything that happens to us has been preordained by fate."

"Yeah, yeah whatever you say. Man I knew that you looked like a girl but I had no idea that you talked like one too. On and on, I'm growing old here, let's just fight. Or are you afraid of breaking a nail?"

Veins bulged out around the Hyuuga's eyes, but not just from the famed Byakugan. Naruto had just achieved the impossible. He got under the skin of one of the notoriously unflappable Hyuuga's.

Neji didn't say anything this time. Instead he settled into the fighting stance of his family. One of the most dangerous taijutsu styles in the Shinobi world, the Jyuuken.

Naruto's interest was renewed. "Oh, are we fighting now? And I was just getting good at tuning you out too."

The dark haired genin couldn't take it any more. Without even waiting for his younger opponent to get into a stance he rushed forward.

His hand shot towards Naruto's chest, fingers pulsing with the dangerous needlelike chakra. The blonde didn't even flinch as he watched death charging towards him.

Neji glared up at the concealed face, his wrist held tightly in a gloved hand. "Did you think I spent an entire month doing nothing? You're going to have to try a lot harder than that to hit me."

Neji growled in irritation as he aimed another strike at the boy, who simply used his hold on Neji's wrist to spin the Hyuuga around and push him onto the ground. Neji pushed himself off the ground and returned to his stance Byakugan glaring.

"Well that was nice, but perhaps we should get to the real dance." Naruto slipped into his own stance, low to the ground and ready to move in any direction.

Again Neji charged first and the two boys began an intricate dance of two clashing styles. The Hyuuga prodigy had never met anyone more annoying than Naruto. Even his taijutsu style was an irritation. He had grown very used to competing against Lee's angular power based style, but the Uzumaki's style lived up to the name of its user.

There were no real angels in Naruto's style, no set attack patterns, only reactions as each movement flowed into another. It relied heavily on speed and flexibility, making it very difficult for Neji to get a hit. He pushed himself to go faster and faster, waiting for the one slip up that would let him in. True Naruto's taijutsu was a force to be reckoned with but the Hyuuga's sharp eyes had found the weakness. Naruto depended on his whole body to fight, all it would take was one good hit anywhere, and Naruto would be easy pickings.

Finally his fingers connected with cloth and he felt the resistance of a body beneath. Naruto winced and jumped back, clutching his side in pain. The only thing Neji did was smirk. "Let's see you run away from me now."

Naruto sighed and let his hand slip from his injury. "Fine, have it your way. At least I got a good warm up out of you before I had to get serious." With that he put his fingers into his favorite seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

The arena was suddenly filled with clones of Naruto. In the stands people were amazed by the feet that no genin should be able to achieve. The Hokage smiled in his seat. Naruto never ceased to amaze. The clones were definitely a crowd pleaser but what the majority of the audience had not noticed was the intricate trap Naruto had laid.

His words at the beginning of the match had been just as carefully executed as the intricate dodges and blocks in the short taijutsu bout. He was playing the same game that Neji had played with Hinata, and he was winning. Even going so far as to allow the prodigy to hit him. Now the Hyuuga would face his counter attack.

Back in the arena Neji was staring in awe at the sheer number of clones Naruto was able to produce. He knew from watching Kiba's fight with the boy that each one of those bodies where solid. But Hyuuga's were known for there composure and Neji was a cookie cutter Hyuuga. He did not panic seeing the number of opponents, but instead slipped back into his stance, after all he had landed a hit so Naruto's style was compromised.

The clones charged and Neji frantically tried to fend them off. He had never been more thankful for near three hundred sixty degree vision. He managed to dispel a few of the clones but most of them remained dodging smoothly all the while throwing vicious attacks, many of which connected. Finally Neji was forced to retreat from the attack by jumping out of the group.

The horde of Narutos turned to look at him. He could almost feel the smirks that he knew were present on those concealed faces. Oh, he was going to beat this kid, and then he was going to take off that irritating mask and reveal what Naruto was trying so hard to keep hidden.

"How are you still able to move so well? You shouldn't be able to do that after I hit you."

Naruto and his clones reformed ready to go for another blitz attack. "It's true your hit to my side was a great move. It was just enough to undermine my whole taijutsu style, but you underestimated my pain tolerance."

With that said the Naruto army charged yet again. Neji smirked as he watched them coming, it was time to reveal his trump card. "KAITEN!" The Narutos were repelled by the swirling dome of chakra causing all of them to dispel. In the stands all the Hyuuga were shocked. The kaiten was one of their most coveted and difficult techniques. For a member of the branch family to achieve it at the age of fourteen was unheard of.

Naruto picked himself off the ground and shook his head violently to clear it. "Well that was unexpected."

"This will come as a surprise as well. You're in my field of divination Uzumaki." Before Naruto could puzzle out what he meant Neji had entered the wide stance associated with one of the Hyuuga's most devastating attacks and charged forward.

"Hakke Rokujuyon Sho" Naruto could not avoid the attack, and again and again Neji's fingers dug into his body, painful bursts of chakra sealing off his tenketsu. He could vaguely hear Neji calling out the number of hits but he could not be bothered to process it.

He fell limply to the ground panting heavily. Neji stood over him in victory. "It was decided by fate that you would lose this match Uzumaki." He reached down to grab the top of Naruto's mask and yanked it off, revealing blond hair and tan skin. "Call the match ref, he isn't getting up." With that said he turned his back and began to walk away, his trophy still in hand.

Naruto smirked slightly as he pushed the pain searing through his body out of his mind, forcing himself to his feet. He picked his fallen sunglasses up off the ground and placed them back over blue eyes, smirk still firmly planted on his now revealed face. "Hey Neji, who are you to say that I'm done? As far as I'm concerned this match has just started."

The Hyuuga glared at the object of his hatred. "How are you standing after that attack? No one gets up after an attack like that!"

Naruto laughed slightly. "Once again you underestimate my pain tolerance Neji."

The normally stoic boy looked very irritated. "Even if you do have a high pain tolerance I closed all your chakra points, there's nothing you can do."

That maddening smirk stayed on Naruto's face. "Now you see that's where you are wrong. You see unlike you I still have a few tricks up my sleeve." Naruto put his hands together in the ram seal and began to focus.

Neji was tempted to start laughing at the blonde's useless attempts and he almost did. That is he almost did before he saw the red orange chakra emitting from the blonde. Panicking he activated his Byakugan to see the strange energy spiraling out of Naruto's center, flowing through his coils and bursting open the previously closed tenketsu. The chakra was so intense that the small pinpoints he usually found so easily all but disappeared. He was forced to deactivate his blood line.

Naruto simply smirked at the Hyuuga's shock and pulled off a glove, flexing his now revealed fingers. "Normally I'm against doing this to people, but I think I can make a small exception for you." He rushed forward with a speed that he did not posses moments earlier. He stopped right in front of Neji and once again smirked. "It's time you feel what you did to Hinata." He grabbed onto Neji's arm with his naked hand focusing on exactly what he wanted the older boy to feel.

Neji's eyes widened as pain raked his body. He felt like he was being stabbed with hundreds of tiny knives. He shouted out once before Naruto let go and put his glove back on. "You don't seem to enjoy how your own attack feels Neji, and yet you use it so readily against your own family members."

Never before had Neji come across such an ability. "What was that?"

Naruto backed away and slowly slid into his fighting stance. "That was my bloodline, the Kagyaku. The torment I have lived through may not leave scars, but every second of pain remains imprinted on my mind and lives beneath my skin, always ready to be used."

Neji shook his head. "I've never heard of such an ability."

"You wouldn't have since I'm the first one to have it, and most likely the last since I cannot turn it off."

Neji's eyes widened in surprise, having never imagined someone condemned to such a fate, but he was still not about to loose this fight. He shook off his nerves and entered his stance activating his Byakugan again; completely ready for whatever the still orange glowing boy had to give.

Naruto once again made his favorite hand sign and an army of bunshin popped into existing. With a cry they all rushed forward ready to take Neji down. With no other options against so many opponents Neji began to spin expelling an insane amount of chakra to counteract the orange energy around the Naruto army.

The two energies collided in a titanic battle for dominance kicking up a large amount of dust that covered the field in an impenetrable cloud. The spectators all strained their eyes to see who came out victorious. But as the dust began to clear all they could make out were two pits with dust still flying around them chaotically. There was no way to tell which fighter lay in which pit.

Silence rained over the stadium as people sat on the edge of their seats. No one knew what had happened and some could scarcely breathe for anticipation. Finally a hand reached out of one of the pits and a fighter climbed out to reveal Neji standing victorious. Still the audience did not cheer; they couldn't believe that it was over just like that.

Neji didn't mind the lack of enthusiasm. He calmly limped over to the other pit, his body screaming in protest. He looked down as the last of the dust cleared to reveal an unconscious Naruto. He sighed, it was over, Naruto had fought hard but there was no defying fate. In the end Neji was a Hyuuga and Naruto was an orphaned boy with an unknown bloodline, the match had been no contest.

He was about to turn to the ref to call the match when something unexpected happened. The unconscious form of Naruto disappeared in a cloud of smoke to reveal, nothing. Neji looked around frantically no longer having the energy to activate his bloodline.

"You won't find me up there Hyuuga." Neji looked down in shock to see two arms burst from the ground, grab onto his ankles and yank him downward. "Doton: Shinju Zanshu no jutsu."

Naruto looked down on the protruding head of Neji. "Looks like fate was wrong today." He walked away from the defeated Hyuuga and picked up his fallen mask, beating the dust off of it before placing it back on his head. "A word of advice Neji, don't reveal all of your cards before the end of the game."

"WINNER UZUMAKI NARUTO!"

The crowd went wild; cheers rang from every corner of that stadium. In one area Sakura was jumping up and down in reckless abandon as she screamed to Ino and Chouji how she knew all along that he would win. In another area Kakahsi was proudly telling anyone who would listen that he taught Naruto that final move, while pointedly ignoring any and all of Gai's complements, thus rubbing his victory further into the green wearing Jonin's face. Finally in another area two cloaked figures could be seen hugging each other in joy, before realizing what they were doing and immediately letting go of each other in embarrassment.

Naruto looked up at the stands in complete awe. Never before had he even imagined so many people cheering for him of all people. Him, the demon brat of Konoha. First it was a small chuckle that escaped his lips then a full blown laugh as energy rushed back into his system. He jumped around and waved at the crowd, barely noticing Neji being dug out of the ground.

It wasn't until the older boy was placed on a stretcher that Naruto calmed down enough to notice him again. He walked up to the medic and bowed politely. "Is it okay if I go with him to talk for a little while?"

The medic was surprised by the genin's request. "Well it's a bit unorthodox, but there is nothing seriously wrong with him so I don't see why not. You'll have to make it quick though, because the judges will not wait if you don't make it back in time."

"Don't worry; what I have to say won't take long." With that he followed Neji's stretcher out of the stadium, the cheers of the crowd still ringing in his ears.

Sarutobi leaned forward to talk to the judges. "So what do you think?"

"The boy's taijutsu is definitely solid to have stood up to the Jyuken for so long, and the fact that he can call upon and control even a small portion of the Kyuubi's chakra is unbelievable. He seemed to have a set idea of what he wanted to do from the beginning, showing that there was some planning involved, and he adapted to everything that Neji threw at him. All in all I'd say that he's a pretty good candidate."

The Hokage nodded, pleased at that verdict. There was no doubt in his mind that a few more fights would make the young boy a lock for chuunin.

Over in the recovery room of Konoha's hospital, two boys were having a life changing conversation, completely unaware that one of them had gotten a step closer to their goal.

"So why do you blame everything on fate? You seem to have a pretty good life to me."

Neji looked away from Naruto and scowled. "I am a slave to the main house, simply because I was born part of the branch house. My father and Hiashi-sama were twins, yet a couple of minutes decided both of their fates." He took off his hitai ate to reveal his forehead and the seal upon it.

"This seal is placed on all branch family members to ensure that we remain in our place. When we die the Byakugan is sealed off so that no one can steal its secrets from us, but when we are alive it only gives the main family the ability to destroy our minds. They put it on me when I was five and not long after my father was killed in Hiashi's place to protect the Byakugan.

"You have no idea what its like to have everything taken from you by fate. To have a couple of minutes decide the course of your entire life. You have no idea what its like to be branded by a seal that lets the world know what you are."

Naruto shook his head calmly. "I understand more than you could possibly imagine. After all, I was born on the day that the Kyuubi attacked, and lost both of my parents that same day. As if being condemned to a life without family isn't bad enough I was cursed with this bloodline that separates me from everyone. I probably understand more than anyone you know what life is like for you, and just like you I choose to fight it."

Neji looked up briefly, not understanding. "You may talk about fate a lot, but you don't really believe in it. I know because you fought against Hinata even though that seal is a sign that you are supposed to protect her. Then you fought against me with everything that you had. Even if you do believe in fate you are doing everything you can to fight it just like me."

Someone in the doorway cleared their throat. Both boys turned to see Hiashi and Hinata. The young girl looked even paler than usual, a testament to the injuries she had received one month prior, but still she smiled softly. "Thank you for sticking up for me Naruto-kun."

He bowed to her politely and smiled beneath his mask. She then turned to her downed cousin. "I brought some of my healing ointment for your wounds Neji-niisan." She placed it softly on his bedside table before backing away.

Hiashi cleared his throat again. "If you two would please return to the arena, I would like to speak to Neji alone."

The two nodded and left quietly. Once they were outside that changed. "So how did you like the match Hinata-chan?"

The girl blushed slightly. "What I saw of it was very good. Unfortunately I had a bit of an episode about half way through."

"You did? Are you alright?"

She smiled at his concern. "Hai, I'm fine. Kiba-kun took care of me. He got me to an Anbu med nin who was able to patch me up. I still feel a bit weak though so Kiba-kun is waiting for me outside."

Naruto let a knowing smile spread across his concealed face. "Oh he is huh?"

They stepped outside, and sure enough there was Kiba. He scowled a bit as he saw Naruto, not because he held a grudge against the boy, but because he knew that mask of his was concealing a knowing smirk. "Not one word Uzumaki."

Naruto did his best to seem innocent. "I wasn't going to say anything Kiba. I was merely thinking how nice you were for escorting Hinata." He brushed past the dog like teen and whispered so that Hinata couldn't hear. "Smooth move Casanova."

Before Kiba could retaliate Naruto was headed off to the stadium. Hinata cleared her throat. "Shall we head back Kiba-kun?"

Kiba smiled and laughed nervously. "Of course Hinata-chan." They walked back to the stadium side by side, but too shy to actually touch.

**Well there you have it, chapter 19. Up next is the much anticipated Naruto Gaara smack down, which you may have to wait a while for because like this one it is a major fight scene and I refuse to screw it up. I can only hope that when I do get it up you all will think it's phenomenal.**

**I was originally going to have a Kyuubi scene in this one but it always turned out wrong. I think it's because I keep on portraying Kyuubi as me when I'm in one of my moods. In other words, a sarcastic ass who finds immense pleasure in twisting other peoples words around to turn them into insults. The scene was very funny but it just didn't fit in with what I was trying to do.**

**Naruto's final move was for all of you that felt Naruto didn't know enough jutsu. Kakashi did teach him others he just hadn't found a suitable situation for using them. On that note I think I spelled the technique wrong, but I'm not the first to do that, I'll double check for next time.**

**An imaginary cookie goes to anyone who can figure out who the people in cloaks were. Trust me it's not that difficult.**

**Ja ne**

**Yooso**


	20. Chapter 20

**Don't own Naruto; doubt any of you are reading this. Now on with the fic.**

Human Contact

Naruto joined his fellow competitors on the balcony. He was shocked to see that Sasuke was already in the ring. "Did I miss something? I know I wasn't in the Hospital that long."

Shino was the one who decided to take pity on the confused boy. "My opponent forfeited and Shikamaru lost to Temari."

"He actually fought? I thought for sure he would forfeit."

"He did."

Naruto just looked at the bug user in confusion. Again Shino decided to take pity on him. "He fought because listening to Ino scream at him would have been too troublesome, but ended up forfeiting at the end of the fight because he was low on chakra."

Naruto nodded in understanding then turned to Shino in shock. "I don't think I've ever heard you say that much at one time."

Shino said nothing. Naruto wasn't surprised, although he would later swear that he saw Shino's cheek twitch in a possible smile. Instead of commenting he turned to the fight which had taken a rather interesting turn.

Gaara had encased himself in some kind of sand ball, and Sasuke had chosen to perch himself on the wall while trying to figure out how to get past the defense. The dark haired boy grimaced in irritation. The last thing he wanted to do was reveal his trump card so early in the matches. Especially since he could only used it twice.

Kakashi had made it a point to make Sasuke understand that the Chidori was not to be used lightly. It was a one shot finishing move to be used only in the most severe situation. But Sasuke wanted to win and he knew that Gaara was completely ruthless. The last thing Sasuke wanted to see was what the sand nin was preparing inside that ball.

He made his decision. He would apologize to Kakashi later. Sasuke flipped through the necessary hand signs and channeled his chakra. The ball of lightning was difficult to hold and he had received many burns in learning how to create it. But it was worth it to feel that power in the palm of his hand and hear the screech of thousands of birds. It was worth it to know that he had managed to learn something so advanced in a mere month.

In the stands Gai turned to Kakashi in shock. "You actually taught him that move? It is far too powerful for a genin!"

Kakashi glanced over to the green clad jounin, a baleful look in his one visible eye. "This coming from the man who taught a genin how to open the celestial gates."

Gai had the decency to look ashamed. "But I thought for sure that you would pass that technique on to Naruto."

"No, Naruto is not suited for the chidori. He will learn something on a whole other level when the time comes. And I bet he will make it even greater."

Gai nodded and turned back just in time to see Sasuke stab the ball of lightning into the sand barrier. A painful scream ripped through the air and a demonic arm made of sand struck at Sasuke.

Just when everyone began shouting in surprise at the strange phenomena feathers fell from the sky and everyone in the stadium began to fall asleep. Temari and Kankuro leapt from the stands to carry their wounded brother out of the stadium while all around the stands sand and sound shinobi came out of hiding to attack.

Sasuke growled in anger. Konoha had been invaded. Too furious to think straight he charged after the sand siblings, fully intent on ripping them apart for their treachery.

In the stands Konoha jounin were doing everything they could to protect the slumbering civilians. Kakashi and Gai looked up to see a strange purple barrier appearing above the Kage box. They wanted desperately to go and help their leader but knew that they could not leave the stands. The Sandaime was strong; he could take care of himself.

A large sword cut down an oto nin that had been trying to sneak up behind them.  
The two jounin whirled around to see two cloaked figures, one holding the large blade. "Keep your head in the game copy cat, or you just might lose it."

"Zabuza?" The two people removed their hoods to reveal a smiling Zabuza and Haku. Kakashi deftly deflected a kunai with one of his own. "What are you two doing here?"

Haku dispatched a sand nin with some well thrown senbon. "We wanted to see Naruto-kun's match."

Zabuza swung his sword around at a chuunin causing the much younger nin to shout in fright and run away. "Yeah and it's a good thing we did too otherwise we wouldn't have been here to save your asses."

Gai was confused. "Kakashi how do you know these people." He jammed his elbow into an approaching nin's stomach, winding him.

"Let's just say they're old friends and leave it at that."

Gai let a huge grin spread across his face. "Yosh! I shall defeat more enemies than Kakashi's friends or I shall climb the Hokage mountain with my teeth!"

Zabuza's face twitched as he watched the spandex wonder tear off to find more unyouthful opponents. "What. Was. That?"

Kakashi sighed as he blocked another projectile. "Don't ask."

* * *

Sakura weaved her way through the chaos trying to find her sensei. She didn't know what was going on. Oh sure she knew the obvious. But she didn't know how the invasion had happened, and she was terrified.

A sound nin leapt at her and Sakura prepared to defend. Fortunately a green blur screaming about youth appeared right then to intercept. Sakura did not stick around to find out the gruesome results.

Finally she found her sensei fighting back to back with Momochi Zabuza while Haku provided them with cover. "Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi glanced over at his pink haired student. "Sakura, thank Kami you're here." He quickly sliced his thumb on a kunai and summoned a tiny pug. "I need you to take Pakkun. Find Naruto and Shikamaru. I need the four of you to track down Sasuke and help him."

"But sensei!"

"No buts Sakura! We have things covered here. You need to support your teammate. Now go!"

Sakura immediately tore off, Pakkun running behind her. She had to be confident in her sensei's ability. Kakashi would be just fine and Zabuza and Haku were there to cover him. She didn't even have time to wonder what those two were doing there.

She reached the competitors balcony to find Naruto and Shikamaru knocked out from the genjutsu. Pakkun calmly walked over and sniffed at Naruto's hand. "Genjutsu never was the kid's strongest suit."

Sakura didn't know why she wasn't surprised to hear a dog talking, but raced to Naruto's side. She immediately placed her hand on his shoulder to rearrange his chakra system.

Blue eyes blinked open behind dark glasses. Naruto shook the cobwebs from his mind as he focused on his pink haired teammate. "Sakura, what happened?"

"Genjutsu kid. But this isn't the time for questions. Konoha is under attack and pinky here still has to wake up the other boy."

Sakura hearing Pakkun's prompt went over to wake up Shikamaru.

"What do you mean Konoha's under attack?!"

The little dog shook his head. "You don't need to worry about that. Kakashi and the others are taking care of it. Our job is to go after that teammate of yours and make sure he doesn't die."

"What happened to Sasuke?"

Sakura chose to answer him this time. "He ran after the team from Suna. Apparently they betrayed us and joined Oto. Aargh! He won't wake up!"

Pakkun hopped over to the still slumbering Nara and promptly sunk his teeth into his hand.

"AAAAHHHH!!" Naruto and Sakura had never seen their almost narcoleptic class mate move so quickly. "Why did you bite me?"

The little dog gave a smug sniff. "Sometimes the best way to release Genjutsu is physical pain. That also just happens to be the best way to reveal a faker."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Man, I don't want to go on some race to find the Uchiha."

The little dog lifted it paw. "How about this, if you go I'll let you touch my paw? Come on kid, they're nice and soft."

"Why would I want to touch your paw?"

This made Pakkun pout. No one ever wanted to touch is lovely soft paws. And he worked so hard to keep them that way.

Naruto sighed as he took off one of his gloves. He reached over and rubbed Pakkun's paw, once again thankful that the Kagyaku didn't affect summons. "Your paws are very nice Pakkun." He then replaced his glove and turned to the stubbornly lazy shadow user. "If you don't come with us then I'll tell Ino that you secretly desire a full makeover."

Shikamaru's eyes widened. "You are evil Naruto." He stood up. "Let's get this over with. The sooner we find Sasuke the sooner I can go back to sleep." And so the trio took off through the trees Pakkun leading the way with his sharp nose.

It wasn't until they had been running for about five minutes that Pakkun alerted them to danger. Apparently several chunin had followed them from the stadium in all the confusion, and they were not friendly. Shikamaru sighed as his powerful mind came up with the only solution.

"I'll stall them." Naruto and Sakura paused in their discussion of tactics sure that hell had just frozen over. It was a rare occurrence indeed when a Nara volunteered to do something.

"I'm sorry Shikamaru; all the excitement must have done something to my hearing. What did you say?"

The lazy boy sighed and rolled his eyes at Naruto. "I said I'll stall them. Sasuke is your teammate, not mine so you two don't need to be wasting your time and energy on something as trivial as this. My family's techniques were designed for this purpose. It's only natural that I stay behind and stall them while you two go ahead."

"But Shikamaru!"

"Just go before I change my mind Naruto. You know damn well that I'm not really the self sacrificing type; that has always been your thing. I guess some of your bad habits have rubbed off on me."

Naruto jumped over to the shadow user's tree branch and embraced him. He couldn't care less that it was not the masculine thing to do. "Thanks Shikamaru." He pulled back and clasped his friend's hand tightly. "I'll see you back in the village."

Shikamaru gave his friend a small smile and nodded. "Definitely." It was easier not to say goodbye to a friend. With that out of the way Shikamaru turned around and jumped down to the ground, ready to sacrifice himself for his friends. He just hoped that he could buy them enough time.

Naruto turned around immediately wiping away a stray tear and stealing himself. Losing friends in battle was a part of life and now was not the time to mourn. The only thing he could do for Shikamaru now was trust in his abilities and make sure that any sacrifice on his part was not in vain.

Sakura gave Naruto a nervous glance as they continued running. It was not everyday that you left one of your friends on the battle field to die. She wondered when Naruto had grown up, when had he left boyhood behind and become a man.

They raced on through the trees as fast as they could only detouring once when Pakkun sensed a battle. Sakura found herself hard pressed to keep pace with them, but Naruto seemed to be hardly pushing himself. She had always known that she was the weakest link in their team but the gap had never seemed quite so large before.

* * *

Sasuke didn't know what else to do. He had already reached his limit with the Chidori and Gaara seemed to only be getting stronger. The red head had started to transform into some sort of mad sand monster. How was he supposed to compete against something that he didn't even think was human?

But Uchiha Sasuke could not die yet. He still had something to do. Kakashi had warned him of what would happen if he tried the Chidori a third time, but he didn't know what else to do. In an act of desperation he formed the seals and tried to mold the chakra. The curse seal on his shoulder reacted and spread across his arm and face. Sasuke cried out in pain as it reacted negatively to Kakashi's seal.

The Chidori in his hand failed as he lost his concentration. Sasuke would not realize for a long time that Kakashi's suppression seal had probably saved his life. At the time however his only concern was the multiple sand shuriken being thrown at him by a half human half monster freak of nature.

He couldn't force his body to move. The pain combined with the chakra exhaustion and battling seals was too much for his body to handle. He closed his eyes waiting for his inevitable death.

He opened his eyes to see none other than Naruto standing in front of him. His body impaled by several of the deadly projectiles. Naruto coughed slightly and was forced to pull off his mask as it was splattered with blood. "How you doing Sasuke?"

The dark haired boy shook his head. "I've got nothing left Naruto. I can't even move. You shouldn't have come after me, that guy isn't human."

Naruto grunted as he began pulling out the sand shuriken. He looked at Gaara only mildly disgusted by his half transformed and drooling face. "Sakura get Sasuke out of the way. I can 't fight him if I'm constantly worried about him getting caught in the crossfire."

The pink haired girl hesitantly approached her former crush who was just staring at Naruto in shock. "What are you thinking dobe? That guy is a monster and you're already injured. There's no way you can beat him."

Naruto turned to his friends with a small smirk on his face. "Who said anything about beating him?"

Sakura paused in surprise, arms halfway around Sasuke. "Naruto no! We're a team! Sasuke and I are not abandoning you!"

Naruto turned back to the crazed Gaara who seemed to be watching them in confusion as his transformation slowly spread. "No one is abandoning anyone. I just need you to do this for me Sakura. Get Sasuke out of the way and make sure he's okay. I'm going to distract this guy. If you see the fight going south I want you both to get out as fast as you can. I'll stall him for as long as I can."

"We can't just leave you!"

"You will do as I say Sakura!" He glanced back at his friends his face set and determined. "I don't know if I can beat this guy, but I refuse to let you two die because I'm not strong enough."

Once again Sakura got the impression that she was talking to someone much older than her. Tears filled her eyes but she nodded. She pulled Sasuke's arm over her shoulder and leapt out of the way. The last thing in the world she wanted to do was leave Naruto to fight that monster, but she would put his feelings before her own and keep Sasuke safe.

Naruto growled slightly as he turned back to Gaara. The sand genin watched the other two leave but did not move. His insane mismatched eyes trained themselves on Naruto. "Are you here to confirm my existence too?"

The hair on the back of Naruto's neck stood on end at the demonic voice. He had known from the beginning that there was something off about Gaara, and his instincts told him to run. But there was another part of him that wanted to fight, wanted to prove that he was dominant, he was the most powerful.

A large hand of sand shot towards him and Naruto jumped out of the way to avoid it, throwing some shuriken in the process. The sand over Gaara extended to his other with amazing speed and blocked the weapons. The next thing Naruto knew his weapons were being returned along with several others made of sand. He couldn't avoid the projectiles in the air so he used a Kawarimi.

Gaara let out an animalistic growl as he watched the impaled log fall to the ground. The sand spread to cover the other half of his face and down his back, a tail slowly taking form.

Naruto hid in the foliage trying to figure out the best way to approach such a large and imposing opponent. The sand covering Gaara's body added a lot of extra weight and bulk so the sand nin would be slower. Also even without the sand Lee had almost managed to beat him on pure speed alone. The only issue was finding a way to get through all that armor.

Gaara turned toward Naruto's hiding spot, his now yellow eyes glowing with an insane light. Naruto was forced to move when a sand arm shot out at him. The blonde immediately maneuvered around the arm trying to take Gaara from behind with superior speed, but the cumbersome sand armor was not as unwieldy as it first seemed. Gaara immediately spun around the large arm slapping Naruto into a tree like swatting a fly.

Naruto shook his head as he picked himself up again. He coughed up more blood, wincing as his healing abilities took effect on his cracked and bruised ribs. He winced and panted as he looked into Gaara's demonic yellow eyes. His healing was fast but not fast enough in his opinion.

"I'm disappointed. I was hoping for more from you but your dark haired friend was far more entertaining. He shall be the one to prove my existence."

Naruto saw a flash of pink behind Gaara's shoulder. He locked eyes with his green eyed teammate silently telling her to run. She chocked back tears as she nodded once again. She pulled Sasuke's arm over her shoulder and began jumping through the trees, but the extra weight slowed her down.

Naruto reached into his weapons pouch and pulled out a kunai, carefully wrapping an explosive tag around the handle.

"So you're still going to fight?"

Naruto smirked as he formed his favorite seal. "You're damn right I am you mutant sand castle. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

With that three more Narutos appeared and charged forward. Gaara immediately went after the one in the front but was not fast enough to keep the others from using it as a spring board. The second one then changed the trajectory of the remaining two before it was also destroyed.

Gaara went after the last two with his tail but could not keep the real Naruto from using his final clone to change his position one more time. Naruto barely had enough time to plant his kunai into the still thin armor at the base of Gaara's tail before he was once again swatted away.

The resulting explosion was huge. Not too far away the still running Sakura almost lost her footing from it. She had to stop in order to steady herself, her balance already thrown off by the extra weight of Sasuke. As she did a piece of flying debris cut her leg making her hiss in pain as a fresh wound opened.

Naruto smirked in pleasure as Gaara was blasted away. The mangled sand creature dragged itself back up panting slightly. It was worth taking another hit to the rib cage just to see that. Then Gaara stopped and raised his still monstrous nose into the air.

"I smell fresh blood. And fear!"

Naruto watched in horror as Gaara ran in the direction of his teammates. He once again pushed his battered body into a standing position and forced himself to run. He would die before he let anyone harm his teammates.

Sakura let out a scream of surprise when the monstrous form of Gaara appeared in front of her.

"Give me the Uchiha. His death shall prove my existence!"

Sakura swallowed hard as she set Sasuke down and stepped in front of him drawing a kunai. Her hand was surprisingly steady even though she knew she had no chance against this foe. But Naruto had sacrificed himself so that she and Sasuke could escape and she wasn't about to dishonor his sacrifice by backing down now.

"If you want him you're going to have to go through me first!"

Gaara clenched his deformed head in frustrated confusion. Why did these people willingly sacrifice themselves for each other? Why did they care? Images of his tortured past flashed through his head. The glares, the screams, the attempts on his life, and the final words of his uncle, the man who betrayed his trust more than any other. He was alone, a monster, and he always had been. He loved only himself there was no such thing as love for another!

He lashed out wildly at Sakura pinning her to a tree with one sandy claw. She let out a small gasp as her head collided harshly with the trunk of the tree. Stars danced in her eyes and the last thing she saw was Naruto rushing forward.

Sakura smiled lightly as she lost her battle with consciousness. At least Naruto was still alive. At least she got to see him one more time. She didn't even hear him call out her name.

"Let her go! She has nothing to do with this; I'm the one you want!"

Gaara chuckled coldly as his arm detached from the sand around Sakura. "The longer she is there the tighter the sand will get, until eventually she is crushed. The only way to save her is to defeat me. So show me your true power Uzumaki Naruto! Prove my existence!"

At those words something inside Naruto snapped. His breathing was labored but not from fear or fatigue, those did not exist anymore. Gone were the voices alternately telling him to run and prove his dominance. He _knew_ he was dominant. The only thing he felt or cared about was that he needed to protect his friends and nothing was going to stop him.

Naruto placed his hands in his favorite seal once again. He reached into his formidable reserves, drawing on enough raw power to make a Kage cringe. "Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Hundreds of Naruto clones appeared in the trees, all dead serious. Sasuke's eyes widened in shock as Gaara took in the sheer number of his opponents. Never before had he seen such a feat.

"You're mine sand freak!" A large group of clones attacked Gaara from behind hitting him hard and fast. "U!" another group rushed in on the left. "ZU!" Right. "MA!" Front. "KI!"

The last group came from above like a rain of fists. "NARUTO RENDAN!"

Gaara fell to the ground the sand around him crumbling and his eyes closed. The real Naruto landed beside him panting hard as his clones disappeared in a huge cloud of smoke. Sasuke had never seen anything like the fury Naruto had put behind every blow. He never wanted to be on the receiving end of his friend's anger.

Naruto's voice came out as a rasping growl. "Let Sakura go or you won't have an existence to confirm!"

Gaara's eyes snapped open at those words. In that moment all the threats, all the hatred, assassination attempts and worst of all that suffocating loneliness came crashing down on him. All the strength that Naruto's attack had taken out of him returned, and then some.

He let out a completely inhuman roar as the sand completely covered his body. Naruto was forced to retreat to the branch across from Sasuke's. They both watched in aw as Gaara grew to a monumental size.

"Mother wants your blood Uzumaki and your blood is what mother will get!" Before Naruto even had a chance to move sand began creeping up his legs wrapping around his chest consuming his entire body.

Naruto looked up to see Gaara appearing on the top of the sand monster's head. He forced himself to move his arm towards his mouth. Gaara used a jutsu he had never heard of to force himself to sleep. Naruto bit down on his thumb, hard enough to draw blood. The last thing he saw and heard before the sand completely covered him was a giant sand tanuki bellowing its freedom to the skies.

He couldn't breath, the sand was more suffocating than the clothes he was forced to wear everyday. It was dark, not a single ray of light could break through his prison, but Naruto refused to give up, not when there were people who needed him. He didn't even need to concentrate to summon Kyuubi's power, for he was already in a life or death situation. He just had to force himself to do the hand signs.

Outside Sasuke didn't know what to do. Sakura was slowly being crushed, Naruto was about to be annihilated and Gaara was several stories above his head. He didn't know what to do for even if he wasn't suffering from chakra exhaustion there was no way he could take on something so huge on his own.

Just when all hope seemed lost Naruto chose to amaze him again. The sand prison surrounding him suddenly burst open in a monumental cloud of smoke. His eyes widened to the size of ramen bowls as the smoke cleared to reveal a giant yakuza toad with an equally impressive dagger, Naruto standing proudly on top of it.

"What in the world have you summoned me for brat!?"

Naruto sighed in irritation. He should have known that Gamabunta would not be pleased. "Listen Gamabunta I don't have time for your bellyaching. As you can see I've got a giant sand monster in front of me and my friends are down there. One of them is having the life crushed out of her as we speak. So excuse me for not being in the mood to play around right now, but I seriously need your help!"

The large toad took a deep drag from his pipe and exhaled a pillar of smoke. "So you are fighting Shukaku the Ichibi. At least you haven't summoned me for something foolish like Jiraiya."

The giant raccoon seemed tired of waiting for action as he sent an equally large wind bullet at the pair. Gamabunta leapt into the air to avoid the attack sending a water bullet back which was blocked by more air. Bellow Sasuke was experiencing the storm of the century.

"Try to lead him away from the area! I don't want anything to happen to Sasuke and Sakura!"

Gamabunta gave a grunt in reply to his passenger as he continued sending water attacks at Shukaku. Unfortunately one of the wind attacks broke through and hit the toad before he could dodge.

"I can't get hit by many more of those Naruto, and the landscape is going to go through some pretty big changes as this keeps up."

"What do you suggest we do?"

Another large leap and water attack before Naruto got his answer. "Shukaku will just keep getting stronger the longer his medium is asleep. If you wake him up then I can take care of the rest."

"You'll need to get me in closer for that!"

Gamabunta pulled his blade and charged forward to attack the tanuki's head, but Shukaku blocked with his arm. Before Naruto could even think about jumping the Shukaku moved to the side and the blade sliced through his arm. The force caused Gamabunta to loose his grip on the blade and it went spinning off to burry itself in the ground.

"We got a bit of a problem kid. I can get you in close easy enough but I don't have anything to grip him with so you won't have enough time to jump."

"What about a Henge?"

"That'll work but I'll need your help. My transformations aren't that good so you take care of the image and hand seals and I'll take care of the chakra."

"Right!"

"Okay, ready or not kid here we go!" Gamabunta charged forward as Naruto took care of the seals. The cloud of smoke surrounded them and the first thing to pop into Naruto's head charged out of it. A giant nine tailed fox.

Gamabunta latched onto the sand creature, who screamed in rage. "Now Naruto!"

The blonde boy launched himself at the slumbering Gaara breaking the illusion and delivering a punishing blow to the boy's head.

Gaara's teeth jarred together and his eyes snapped open. The Shukaku gave one last frustrated scream before being locked away in his mind once again. He glared at the panting Naruto. There was no way this blond genin could defeat him when so many had failed.

Sand rushed to crush Naruto but Gamabunta's tongue shot out to protect him. Unfortunately Naruto was standing on a veritable mountain of Gaara's chosen weapon. He felt the stuff climbing up his legs. In a last ditch effort he called upon a bit of the Kyuubi's power.

Gamabunta wrenched away from the poisonous chakra and watched in awe as Naruto rushed forward to attack once again. Gaara desperately tried to stop his progress with his sand but only succeeded in binding his arms before Naruto reached him.

The enraged genin did the only thing he could to attack. He slammed his own forehead into Gaara's in a vicious head butt. The sand beneath them slowly crumbled as the last of Gaara's chakra finally left him. Both boys fell into the trees and Gamabunta disappeared, too exhausted to maintain his connection to the shinobi world.

Gaara's pail turquoise eyes burned into Naruto's sapphire blue ones. He didn't know when the blond had lost his shades, nor did he care. All he cared about was what he had felt when their skin had touched for that single instant.

He had felt desperation and an all consuming desire to protect the pink haired girl and Uchiha. Was that what it felt like to love? The confusion was too much for his disturbed mind and he charged forward for one last attack. Naruto immediately reacted and jumped to intercept. It was true he had no energy left but he would see this fight through to the end.

They met each other half way delivering punishing blows to the other's cheek. Gaara's eyes widened as that same feeling rushed over him. This time it was also accompanied by a determination to face complete destruction in order to save the others. As they both fell to the ground questions ran through his head. The most dominating of which was how such a person could possibly exist.

The sand on the ground slightly cushioned their fall but it was still a painful experience. Naruto painstakingly pushed himself up onto his hands and knees forcing himself to crawl over to Gaara. The red heads dark ringed eyes widened in fear. "Stay away from me!"

Naruto didn't stop his painful and slow progress even though his body felt like one giant bruise. The other boy trembled slightly as Naruto stopped right next to him. "What are you?"

Naruto smiled slightly and pulled off one of his gloves with his teeth. "Someone who knows exactly what you have been through." Naruto gently placed his hand on Gaara's and focused on what he wanted to be seen.

A deep loneliness that could only be matched by his own washed over Gaara's mind. He saw images of a tiny blonde child huddled in the corner of a dark room crying. He heard the whispers of monster and demon echoing around him. Felt the glares searing into his skin, then Naruto pulled away.

"You see Gaara. You aren't alone in this world. I'm just like you."

Tears filled sleep deprived eyes. "How are you so happy?"

A soft smile graced Naruto's whisker marked face. "I found people that I cared about, who cared for me in return. I created a family, and I will do everything in my power and more to keep them safe and happy. But you are lucky Gaara. Unlike me you already have a family; you don't have to make one for yourself."

Kankuro and Temari chose that moment to appear, both dead set on destroying Naruto before he could kill their little brother.

"Stop! Don't do anything to him!"

The older Suna nin looked at Gaara in surprise but relaxed their stances. "We've lost today. Let's just go home."

Temari smiled lightly at her little brother and walked over to help him up, Kankuro trailing closely behind her. As they hoisted him up between them they heard him say something that they had never dreamed would come out of his mouth.

"Thank you."

Naruto smiled as he watched the small family leave the area then promptly passed out. Sasuke finally managed to make it into the clearing, led by Pakkun and with Sakura draped over his back. He gasped when he saw Naruto laying there limply, fearing the worst.

Pakkun plodded over to the still body and sniffed around it. "Don't worry kid he'll be okay, he's just exhausted. We should all wait here until either someone finds us or one of your teammates wakes up. There is no way you can get them back to the village in your condition, and odds are they're safer here."

Sasuke nodded sat down with a sigh, situating Sakura so that she was lying with her head in his lap. Never once had he imagined that his teammates would sacrifice so much for him. Sakura had willingly jumped in front of an opponent she knew that she had no chance of beating. And Naruto, he had displayed powers that Sasuke had never seen before. They did it all for the team.

He leaned against a tree and closed his eyes, hoping to regain some of his lost energy. The black marks on his body finally began to recede as his mind turned to more positive things than his need for vengeance. Team seven's fight was over, and the battle for the village was dwindling to the end. He would worry about what happened there later, right now everything was just perfect.

**This chapter was a fabulous twenty-eight pages long without author notes. I wrote most of it in one go last night and I haven't proof read too much so I'm sorry if it sucks. I wanted the fight scene to remain relatively the same and concentrate on character reactions instead. Especially the way Gaara feels about Naruto after experiencing the Kagyaku.**

**I'm sure that those of you who didn't think of Haku and Zabuza being under the cloaks are feeling sufficiently sheepish. Although I can hardly blame you as it is hard to keep track of the fics that they actually live in, but don't become major characters. I just figured that I went through all that trouble to keep them alive for you I sure as hell better use them at some point.**

**Next chapter is going to be sad and will hopefully come out sooner as I will be returning to my comfort zone. In depth character development and the internal growth of the characters. I still don't feel particularly comfortable writing fight scenes.**

**For anyone who is interested in my possible future fanfic exploits, I am currently working on a new Naruto fic called Social Status. It is an AU high school fic, and I'm not turning it into a ninja school damn it. Don't worry it's not going to be one of those horrible cliché messes with no logical plot. Characters will not be saying like every other word and no one will be completely OOC. I assure you that this story will not be taking precedence over Human Contact for this is my current high priority.**

**I do however urge you all to check it out when I post it because I think it's going to be rather good. If you have any questions of concerns just stick them in a review or PM and I'll get back to you.**

**Ja ne**

**Yooso**


	21. Chapter 21

**I'm back, I'm back! I thought exams would never end! Then as soon as they did my time went straight into moving and finding a job. But I'm back home now and not only do I have a job, I have two. One of them is painting a mural in a coffee shop. Hopefully reviews will be much less sporadic now that I'm home for the summer. This chapter is shorter than the last few, it hardly makes up for the wait I put you all through but it was the best I could do. The next one should be out in a more timely manner.**

**Still don't own Naruto, and I bet you are all glad with how long it's been taking me to update. **

Human Contact

Naruto lay in his room, blankly staring up at the grey sky. He couldn't bring himself to get up let alone get dressed. For three years he had been wearing black, but never had the color disgusted him more than it did today. The Sandaime Hokage was dead; one of the most important people in his life had left the world forever.

There was a knock on his door but he didn't answer. Kakashi opened it, not caring one bit that he was walking in on one very naked thirteen year old boy. "You need to get dressed for the funeral."

Naruto didn't even acknowledge Kakashi's presence. His dulled blue eyes stayed locked on the dreary sky.

Kakashi put his hands on his hips and tapped his foot in irritation. If Naruto had not been so busy wallowing he would have pointed out how matronly the pose was. "We are not going to be late for the Sandaime's funeral."

Naruto just rolled over, rubbing absently at the bandages on his still very tender rib cage.

Kakashi sighed in irritation. He was not about to let Naruto miss the funeral just because the blond had decided to become a sullen teenager. Without a word he picked up the much smaller ninja and slung the protesting boy over his shoulder.

Naruto let out a grunt of discomfort as his battered ribs were jolted by the movement. He quickly continued screaming every obscenity that came into his head as Kakashi carried him out of the room.

The silver haired man walked into the bathroom. He tossed the flailing and cursing teen into the shower and cranked up the cold water earning a shriek of displeasure. Naruto struggled to get out but Kakashi pushed him back down.

"LET ME OUT OF HERE DAMN IT!"

"Oh, I'm sorry I thought you wanted to be treated like a child!"

Naruto froze; his adoptive father had never spoken to him with such contempt. "A great man is dead and you can't even drag yourself out of your self pity long enough to pay your last respects!"

Naruto's eyes were as cold as the water. "Says the man who still can't get over the death of his team mate! You have no right to lecture me!"

"I HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO LECTURE YOU!" Naruto flinched back but Kakashi grabbed his arm and wrenched him out of the shower. The angry jounin dragged him back to his room and let him go. "It is true that I still mourn the loss of my team mate, but at least I have the courage to face his death. Now get dressed." Kakashi slammed the door to Naruto's room as he left to turn off the water.

Naruto turned to the black kimono that Kakashi had laid out for him the night before. He shivered slightly and began to towel himself off before peeling off his ruined bandages and getting dressed.

Kakashi was sitting at the kitchen table when Naruto came out of the room. His eye widened at how much skin the blonde was showing. The normal mask and gloves were not present. Not even the usual sunglasses were there to hide his blue eyes.

Naruto's mouth twitched into a small insecure smile and he ran his fingers through messy hair. "I thought that Hokage jiji would have wanted to see me one last time."

Kakashi's strong arms surrounded Naruto in a warm hug. "I think you're right."

"I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier."

"I'm sorry too. It is always hard to say goodbye to someone you love. I just didn't want you to regret missing your chance."

Naruto nodded and Kakashi let him go. "Now, did you re-wrap your ribs?"

Again Naruto nodded. "Then let's go meet the others."

Out in the streets of Konoha, Sasuke and Sakura were waiting in awkward silence. The pink haired girl glanced over at her brooding teammate as they waited for the others. "Sasuke, what happened after I passed out in that fight with Gaara?"

It had been bothering her ever since she came too yesterday. How had they all survived that fight, and with minimal injury? It just didn't seem possible.

Sasuke sighed and pushed himself off the fence. He knew that it was only a matter of time before she asked this question. He just wished that she had asked Naruto instead. It was a blow to his pride that Naruto succeeded where he had failed.

"Naruto happened." He saw that he needed to clarify when Sakura turned confused green eyes on him. "Naruto gave his all to save you. He even summoned a giant toad. By the end of the battle both he and Gaara were completely out of chakra. Naruto had broken several ribs but he could still move. He could have finished the fight if he wanted, but instead he let Gaara go."

Sakura's eyes were huge. "He did all that to save me?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, all to save you. And then he showed Gaara mercy. Sometimes I wonder where a person like Naruto came from. It just doesn't seem possible for someone like that to exist in this world."

Sakura smiled lightly. He had given it his all to save her. It was just like in the story books where the knight in shining armor rescues the princess. Except she was no princess. "Thank you for telling me Sasuke-kun."

At that moment Kakashi and Naruto arrived. Both teens were shocked to see Naruto without his usual protective layers, but they had the tact not to say anything. The group made their way to the funeral in silence.

Naruto did not hear the words spoken about Sarutobi by his old teammates. He didn't need to hear what a great man the Sandaime had been. He knew what a great man the former Hokage was. The only things he noticed were Konohamaru crying hysterically while Iruka tried to comfort him. The stony face of Sarutobi Asuma as he tried to hide his grief. The picture of the smiling Hokage on top of the casket. And Kakashi's hand on his shoulder while the man stood guard to make sure no one touched him by accident.

Memories of the kind old man raced through his head. Were it not for Sarutobi he never would have gotten off the streets, never gone to the ninja academy, never wanted to be Hokage, never met Kakashi, never known what it was like to have a family. Many thought that it was wrong for him to be standing with the mourning family, and at first he did too. But the Sandaime had been so much more to him than a great leader. He was a grandfather, a member of the crazy family that Naruto had managed to scrape together from nothing.

Naruto felt numb as he walked up to place a white flower on the casket. The Hokage was really dead. Naruto would never see him handing out mission reports or hear him laughing at one of Naruto's stories again.

Naruto turned his back on the ceremony and walked out of the cemetery. Nobody stopped him. Sakura and Sasuke watched him go and turned to Kakashi. He answered before they could even ask the question.

"He's going to the top of the monument to mourn."

"Is this the first time Naruto-kun has lost someone precious to him?"

Kakashi turned to see Haku and Zabuza. They had been offered a short period of asylum due to their assistance in the battle. Unfortunately Zabuza's missing nin status made it too dangerous for them to stay too long in any hidden village.

"Yes. Naruto has never had any family to loose."

"Perhaps someone should go up and make sure he's ok."

Kakashi smiled at the concerned boy. "I'll head up there in a minute Haku. Naruto still isn't too comfortable showing vulnerability around others."

"Kakashi-sensei, perhaps Sasuke and I should go. After all we are his teammates and he should be able to grieve with us."

"I think that is a great idea Sakura. Tell him that I'll see him at home."

The Hokage Monument had been Naruto's spot for years. He would always sit on the Yondaime's head and watch the sun set over his home, but today he had chosen the Sandaime's head.

It was easy to see the beauty of the village from the mountain top. Up on the carved heads of hero's past Konoha looked clean and beautiful, almost glowing in the sun's final rays. Naruto went there whenever he felt overwhelmed for it was from the mountain that he was able to see what ordinary people saw in Konoha everyday.

And so Naruto went there to mourn the passing of an old friend. He silently cried as he looked out over the village all the Hokages had loved enough to die for. That is how Sakura and Sasuke found him.

They didn't say a word, there was no need. Instead they sat down beside him and watched the sun go down. Its light just barely breaking through the clouds and making the droplets from the earlier rain sparkle like diamonds. It was a beautiful end to a sad day.

It wasn't until the stars came out that Naruto finally spoke. "I wish I had been there. Maybe I could have done something."

"Baka, what could a genin have done to save a Kage?"

"Stop it Sasuke. You're not helping." Sakura could see Naruto's fists clenching and knew Sasuke would get a lot more than a bruise on his cheek if Naruto lost his temper now. "I for one am glad that you weren't there."

Sad blue eyes filled with guilt and anger turned to her. "You don't think I could have done anything either?"

Sakura wanted to cower away from him at that moment. She had seen what Naruto could do to a person with a single touch, and right now he was exposed and losing control. She had never thought of him as being dangerous before. But Sakura did not retreat; she refused to fear her friend and teammate.

"I never said that you couldn't do anything Naruto. But if you hadn't been in the forest when it happened I wouldn't be here now."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock and he immediately backed away from her. He hadn't even thought about what would have happened in the forest without him.

"You saved my life Naruto, and I'm not about to let you feel guilty for that."

"Don't forget about me." Sasuke gave a small smile when Naruto turned to him. "I wouldn't be here either if you and Sakura hadn't come to bail me out. Not only that but I think you helped that Gaara kid from Suna too."

Sakura placed her hand on Naruto's back making him flinch slightly at the contact. "See Naruto, you were exactly were you should have been. Saving the people that Hokage-sama loved enough to die for."

He finally allowed her to see that warm smile she could usually only feel. "Thanks Sakura, I really needed that. Thank you both. It's nice to know that I have people I can count on."

Sakura smiled, her green eyes sparkling. "We'll always be here for you, just like you were there for us. Right Sasuke?"

The dark haired boy didn't say anything but he nodded.

She stood up quickly, glad that her job was done. "Well we should probably get back. Kakashi-sensei said he'd be waiting for you, and he's probably wondering what's taking you so long." She began walking toward the path to the village.

Naruto laughed lightly and got up to follow her but he was stopped by Sasuke's voice.

"I'd like to talk to you for a minute Naruto."

"What is it Sasuke?"

The dark haired boy fidgeted slightly. He was after all a very proud person and what he was about to do went against his very nature. "I'm sorry for stealing your move and using it in the preliminaries. I never stopped to consider how it would make you feel. I would have apologized sooner, but I never really got the chance in all the excitement."

Naruto smiled at him. "Thank you for apologizing. I'd offer you a hand up, but I don't think you deserve it."

At first Sasuke thought Naruto was insulting him but when he turned to retort he understood. The blond was laughing weakly as he held up his bare hands. Sasuke laughed slightly at Naruto's bad joke and pushed himself off the ground. The two boys walked toward the path, both glad that the air between them had been cleared. "Hey Naruto, perhaps you can teach me that move for real sometime. It works really well."

Naruto placed his hands behind his head and allowed a cheeky grin to spread across his face. "Yeah, I am pretty great. That's why I'm going to be Hokage some day."

"Shut up you dobe. If touching you wasn't detrimental to my health you'd have a concussion right now."

"Well the Kagyaku does have its good points."

"What's taking you two so long?!"

Both boys looked at each other with a bit of fear in their eyes. They had left Sakura waiting, and nothing is worse than a pissed off kunoichi, no matter what skill level. They immediately started running to catch up with her.

When Naruto got home it was not to the quiet house he had expected. Kakashi and Zabuza sat at the kitchen table drinking heavily while Haku stood in the corner giggling softly. Hovering around the two ninja trying to drink themselves into unconsciousness were Gai and his clone Lee. They were screaming things about springtime and burning youth while Kakashi and Zabuza silently prayed for a blackout period.

"Ah welcome home Naruto-kun! My honorable rival told me that you disappeared after the service to mourn alone! My most youthful student and I decided to come over here and cheer you up!"

Lee's eyes sparkled at the prospect of bringing someone youthful joy. "Hai Naruto-kun! I will do my best to make you happy on this most sad day!"

"The Hokage's death although sad was very heroic. He left this world full of burning youth!" Gai struck his famous good guy pose to the applause of his favorite student.

"But Hokage-jiji was really old when he died." Naruto's comment was very dry and matter of fact. It made the two taijutsu specialists falter.

"Kakashi-san is rubbing off on you Naruto-kun." Gai about had tears in his eyes. He had hoped Naruto would be converted to the wonders of youth.

Naruto took a page out of his teacher's book and chose to ignore Gai. Instead he sat down at the table with the inebriated jounin. "Hey Kashi can I have some of that sake?"

Kakashi pulled the bottle away from the thirteen year old. "Not a chance. Not only are you under age, but it's because of you that they're here." He let out a small hiccup.

Zabuza nodded as he poured himself another saucer. "Yeah kid, leave it to the people who really need it."

Lee jumped toward the table and sat down so quickly Naruto wondered how he didn't break anything. "I know what will cheer Naruto-kun up! Let's tell stories about all the good times we had with Sandaime-sama!"

"An excellent idea my most youthful student!"

Naruto got a sly look in his eyes. "Well if we're going to be telling stories. How about I tell you about the time I sent him to the hospital for blood loss after testing my Oiroke no Jutsu."

Lee's eyes widened, a very impressive feet, he had heard about Naruto's personal jutsu. Something he often used to blackmail Kakashi. "NARUTO-KUN THAT IS MOST UN-YOUTHFULL!!"

By the time Lee and Gai left Haku's giggles had turned into full blown laughter and Naruto had been called un-youthful at least ten times. Zabuza and Kakashi finally achieved their goal of passing out by number five. Naruto had wanted to leave both men at the table, but Haku wouldn't hear of it. It took them about ten minutes to drag Kakashi to his room and Zabuza to the couch. After that Naruto put down the spare futon for Haku and went to his room for some much deserved rest.

That night he dreamed that he was in the Hokage's office telling the Sandaime about the green duo's visit. The old man was laughing good naturedly, just like he always did. After a while they both calmed down, the Hokage lit his favorite pipe and folded his fingers in his lap.

"How are you Naruto?"

Naruto smiled and scratched the back of his neck, an old habit with unknown origins. "I've been okay. I miss you a lot, but Sakura and Sasuke are there for me."

"That is good. I'm glad you have good friends. I know that I have left you in good hands. You have grown into a fine young man Naruto; you don't need me any more."

"Don't say that jiji. I still need you."

Sarutobi's old face crinkled into a smile. His eyes disappearing in wrinkled skin. "No you don't Naruto. I did everything I could to help you grow into the person you have become. Now I hand the job over to new friends who will help mold you into the Hokage that I know you can be. I just want you to promise me one thing."

"Anything jiji."

"Don't ever lose sight of what makes you special. You have a special ability that allows you to befriend almost anyone. You make people want to become their absolute best, and that more than strength or power is what will make you a great leader."

Naruto's eyes were full of tears. "Thank you jiji."

Sarutobi got up from his desk and wrapped Naruto in a warm hug, his white robes enveloping the blonds. "Goodbye Naruto. I'm proud of you."

"Goodbye jiji."

Naruto woke up to morning sunlight streaming through his ceiling. He couldn't help but smile at the memory of his dream. It was true that he would never see the Sandaime again. But at least he had gotten to say goodbye.

He put on a pair of boxers and went into the kitchen to find Haku nursing two very hung over ninja. The large white haired toad sannin Jiraiya was smirking at their pitiful moans. "Ah Naruto, just the person I came to see."

Haku snorted. "He wanted to wake you up with cold water but I made him wait out here until you woke up."

"How did you do that?"

The evil smirk that spread across the effeminate boy's face reminded everyone how dangerous he could be. "Why Naruto-kun, you know how good my aim is."

Jiraiya shivered making Naruto wonder exactly what Haku had targeted. "Anyway, I came because the council has agreed to let me take you on a mission."

This got Naruto excited, there was nothing like a new mission to get life back on track. "What kind of mission?"

"We are going to find the next Hokage. My old teammate, Tsunade."

"You got the old geezers on the council to let you take me on a mission like that?" It was no secret that the council didn't care for Naruto. They saw him as a ticking time bomb that could explode at anytime.

"They didn't have much choice after I made you my apprentice."

"Wait, I'm your apprentice?" The idea of Naruto, the Kyuubi brat, village pariah, being apprenticed to a sannin was just absurd.

"You didn't think that I was going to abandon you after teaching you how to summon did you. I let you sign the toad contract and there is no way that I'm going to let you ruin my reputation. Now I want you packed and at the gate by 2:00."

With that said Jiraiya left. Naruto was still shocked but irritation had begun to seep in. "He just insulted me didn't he."

Haku set some cups of foul smelling liquid before the hung over jounin. "It would seem so."

"DAMN YOU ERO-SENNIN!!"

"Ah not so loud." Two voices moaned in utter agony.

**Next chapter will have some light fluff and begin the journey to find Tsunade. You will also find out what happened to some of the other genin during the invasion.**

**I couldn't help myself from putting that dream in there. Part of me screamed at how sappy and cliché it was, but the other part of me really wanted to give Naruto some closure. Plus I really like the Sandaime and I wanted to get in one more good scene with him.**

**I hope this chapter was as good as you have come to expect from me, and I'll do my best to get the next one out soon.**

**Ja ne**

**Yooso**


	22. Chapter 22

**I'm not dead yet!**

**I'm very sorry for the very long delay, but I was almost done with the chapter when my computer decided to freak out. Now I finally got it fixed and was lucky enough not to loose any data. So I don't own Naruto and here is chapter 22.**

Human Contact

Naruto didn't have to pack. Ever since he became a genin Kakashi had insisted that he start keeping a pack ready for emergency missions. It's true that genin rarely got pulled away so quickly but it was a good habit to get into. Because of this Naruto decided to use his time to check in on a few friends.

His first stop was the hospital. There he could find several of his friends in one convenient stop. People who had been allowed out of the hospital for the funeral were back in their rooms and odds were all their friends would be visiting.

The first room he went to was Shikamaru's. The shadow user was still suffering the effects of chakra exhaustion and, as expected, his team was camping out in his room. Ino was lounging in one of the chairs reading a magazine while Chouji played a game of shoji with his best friend.

Shikamaru smiled as Naruto entered the room. "Hey Naruto, good to see you."

"Good to see you too, although I must say you've looked better."

"Well not all of us got the easy job of taking down a giant sand monster."

Naruto scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Has that gotten around already?"

"Not really. I was just telling Chouji and Ino about what we did during the battle since they were stuck helping out civilians in the safe houses."

Chouji moved another piece across the board. "Don't worry Naruto, now that Ino knows the entire village will know by tomorrow."

Ino jumped up from her chair and hit Chouji over the head with her magazine repeatedly. The entire time she was yelling at him, but Naruto and Shikamaru were too busy laughing to listen.

When things finally calmed down again Ino turned to Naruto with a bright smile. "So what are you doing here Naruto?"

To say that Naruto was disturbed by her sudden change of mood was an understatement. Fortunately he had been around her and Sakura enough to know that it was everyday girl behavior. "I just came to see how you all were doing and say goodbye."

"Goodbye? Why?" Chouji looked slightly worried.

"I actually have a mission and I don't know how long it's going to take."

"Team seven is getting sent out on another C rank?"

"No Shikamaru. Actually I'm going with Jiraiya of the Sannin to find the new Hokage."

All three members of team ten were shocked at the news and as usual Ino was the first to recover. "Why are you being taken on such an important mission?"

"I don't know, but he didn't really give me a choice and I leave later today. I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye to everybody."

Chouji smiled warmly. "Good luck Naruto. I hope you find the next Hokage quickly."

"Don't say anything too stupid, you don't want to make the village look bad to the new leader." Shikamaru moved a shoji piece across the board. "I win."

"Aw man not again. The least you could do is humor me for a little while."

Naruto smiled as he waved goodbye to team ten. He knew that another game would be started up soon and Shikamaru would be concentrating on crushing Chouji again.

His next stop was to Kiba's room. According to what Lee had told him the night before the young Inuzuka had been particularly heroic during the battle. He had immediately taken charge of getting the still injured Hinata to a shelter. On the way they had run into several enemy ninja, he gave everything he had to protect her. Were it not for the timely intervention of Neji, Kiba might not have survived and Hinata might be halfway to Kumo by now. Neji in turn had been saved by his uncle Hiashi after his already strained chakra system finally gave out.

Kiba didn't look too bad considering that he had gone up against several more experienced ninja. He was of course bandaged up pretty good but he was sitting up and talking boisterously with his mother and sister, all five of their dogs also in the room despite hospital rules.

"Hey dog face! I heard you got to play night in shining armor."

"Ah you're just jealous that you aren't as cool as I am fishcake."

"Oh? So why am I the one that is being sent on a very important mission to help Jiraiya of the Sannin find the next Hokage while you're stuck here in bed?"

Kiba pushed himself further up on his pillows, eyes wide in shock. "No way, are you joking? That is so cool!"

Naruto laughed as he negotiated around all the other visitors to sit on the edge of Kiba's bed. "Nope I'm not joking. I stopped by to say goodbye to everyone before I leave later today. So did you really save Hinata's life during the battle?"

A cocky grin spread across Kiba's face. "Sure did, I'm a regular hero."

"Kiba you dog! Most guys would just get their crush flowers, but you just have to go that extra mile."

"It worked too. You just missed Hinata, she went to go visit Shino and Neji."

Naruto shook his head. "Man, you almost die for her and you still don't warrant an exclusive visit?"

Kiba bristled at Naruto's comment. He knew that Naruto was only joking to get a rise out of him but, like always, it was working. "Hey she came to see me first, and that says something!"

"You know Kiba some people believe in saving the best for last."

The young Inuzuka shoved his friend off the bed at that comment. There was only so much teasing he could take, and since he was injured that amount was significantly less than usual. It certainly didn't help that his sister was laughing like crazy while his mother did a poor job of hiding her smirk.

Tsume did however muster up the compassion to get Naruto out of the room. As much as she loved seeing her son losing miserably at a game of wits he was still injured. The last thing she wanted was for Kiba to pull out his stitches because he couldn't reign in his temper.

"As much as we all love seeing someone talk circles around Kiba, I think it is high time you left Naruto. The nurses will not be pleased if Kiba ruins all their hard work by starting a brawl."

Naruto smiled behind his ever present black mask. This time it didn't radiate warmth as usual but it certainly let off a lot of cheek. "I suppose you're right Tsume-san, I guess I'll go and see Shino. Don't worry Kiba I'll be sure to tell you if anything is going on between those two while you aren't there."

Kiba threw a pillow at Naruto's head as the boy left the room. It hit the swiftly closed door with a soft thump. Naruto couldn't help but snicker to himself as he made his way to the room where Shino was getting checked over for any trace amounts of poison left over from his battle with Kankuro.

He knocked lightly on the door and was told to enter by Shino's usual monotone.

He smiled brightly at the bug user and his shy teammate as he walked into the room. "Hey, how are you two doing?"

Hinata graced him with one of her small kind smiles as she stuttered out her response. "I'm f-fine N-Naruto-kun."

"The doctors say I can leave later today as long as my tests come back clean." There was no emotion in Shino's voice. Naruto always wondered how he could speak like that.

"I'm glad you are both okay." He walked over to Shino's bed and stuck out his gloved hand. "I wanted to thank you for intercepting Kankuro during the battle. You may not have known it at the time, but your actions may have saved the lives of my team. For that I am grateful."

Shino took the offered hand and shook it. "I could not allow him to run away without facing me, but I'm glad my actions worked out for the best."

Naruto smiled as he pulled away. Shino may be very strange, but he was a good person. Plus his choice of clothing made Naruto feel much more comfortable.

"I also wanted to say goodbye before I leave to help Jiraiya in his mission to find the next Hokage."

"T-that is a v-very important m-mission Naruto-k-kun. You must feel p-proud."

"Yes, it is not often that a genin is aloud to go on such a crucial assignment."

"I wouldn't read too much into it. Jiraiya just seems to like me. He wants to exploit my large chakra reserves."

"You are very fortunate to have him interested in you." The advantage of being trained by a Sannin was definitely not lost on the ever logical Shino.

"I suppose so, though his personality is incredibly frustrating." Naruto then turned to Hinata. "Have you visited Neji yet by any chance?"

"N-no, I was j-just going to s-see him when you c-came in."

Naruto smiled at the shy girl. "Good, I'll join you."

They said goodbye to Shino and wished him luck for an early release. Hinata was content to walk the halls in silence, and Naruto was happy to oblige. However the room they went to next was anything but.

Rock Lee was stumping around the room on his crutches shouting random things about youth while Tenten tried desperately to quiet him. Her hand kept drifting towards her weapons pouch but she never opened it, as turning an injured teammate into a pin cushion was frowned upon. Gai stood by Neji's bed and patted him on the back repeatedly while exclaiming how proud he was of Neji's youthful actions in protecting his cousin.

The rather eccentric man's eyes landed on the two new comers. "NARUTO-KUN I FORGOT TO THANK YOU FOR RETURNING THE FLAMES OF YOUTH TO MY STUDENT!"

Naruto shook his hands vigorously in a warding gesture. "I didn't really do anything. I'm sure your teachings just finally stuck."

"NONSENSE, IT WAS NOT MY BUT YOUR YOUTHFUL FLAMES THAT FINALLY REACHED HIM AND CALLED HIM BACK FROM THE DARKNESS OF HATRED!"

Lee immediately came over and added to his teacher's praise in an equally loud voice. Naruto bore the attention, but he was not really paying attention to the green duo. His eyes were on the two Hyuuga.

Hinata had used Gai's distraction approach Neji. She stood next to him with that kind smile of hers and placed her hand on his bed. Neji did not return her smile but he did place his hand on top of hers and clasp it lightly. They were no longer two strangers torn apart by the deep seated hatred in the Hyuuga clan. They were family, undivided by branch house and main house.

Naruto smiled at the sight. He would probably never give himself the credit that Gai and Lee seemed to think that he deserved, but he was happy for the change none the less. Two people's lives would never be the same again.

"Well as much as I've enjoyed our chat I have to go. I'm leaving on a mission later today and I still haven't said goodbye to my teammates."

Tenten was very pleased that he had managed to quiet the youth fanatics. "What kind of mission are you going on that you won't be with your team?"

Naruto smiled at her. They rarely talked to each other but she was a very sensible girl, and had given him a few tips on throwing weapons. "Jiraiya decided to take me along on his mission to find the next Hokage."

Tenten was about to press him for more information but anything she might have said was drowned out by Gai and Lee. Naruto quickly left the room before he was caught in another rant about youth.

It was time for his last stop. Sasuke's room.

When he walked inside he was pleased to find Sakura already there, so he wouldn't have to make a special trip to her house. Unlike the other rooms he had visited Sasuke was not sitting in his bed. He was actually pacing back and forth in irritation.

"Hey you two. Why is Sasuke trying to wear out the hospital floor?"

Sakura only sighed as she looked at her very impatient friend. "He's waiting for the nurse to come back and tell him he can go. I'm here to make sure he doesn't make a break for it again."

Naruto smiled. "Its moments like this that makes me glad I can't go to doctors."

Sasuke glared at him threateningly. "Shut up you jerk! We can't all have your healing rate."

Naruto glanced over to Sakura. "Looks like someone's tighty whiteys are riding up on him."

Sakura giggled and Sasuke probably would have thrown a punch at his head if the nurse hadn't chosen that time to enter the room.

"Uchiha Sasuke you are free to go."

The black haired boy changed his course and instead grabbed up his things. "Finally!"

Naruto smiled beneath his mask. "That's great now you two can come and see me off."

Two sets of eyes locked on him in confusion. Sakura asked the question that was on both their minds. "See you off?"

"Yeah I have a mission."

Sasuke growled in irritation. "You have a mission without us?"

Naruto waved his hands in front of him hoping to placate his friends. "It's not like I'm going alone. Jiraiya is going to be with me."

Sakura gasped in shock. "You are going on a mission with Jiraiya of the Sannin?"

"Yeah, he was the one who trained me for the final round of the chuunin exams. Now he's going on a mission to find the next Hokage and for some reason he wants to bring me along."

Sasuke was steaming. Naruto got to go on an important mission with a Sannin. He was leaving them, his teammates, behind. "Why did he choose you?"

Naruto's hands went behind his head in his usual pose. "I don't really know. I mean the only reason he started teaching me is because I blackmailed him. Apparently he's interested by how much raw power I have. But don't worry, I'm sure Kashi will step up your training while I'm gone, and I'll be on the road so it will be a lot harder for me to learn."

Sasuke blushed slightly. "I guess you could tell I was jealous huh?"

Naruto smiled beneath his mask. "You're kind of obvious sometimes. But you really needn't be like that. The teacher doesn't really make the ninja, and Kashi can be a good one when he wants to be."

Sakura cleared her throat to get the boys' attention. She was standing at the open door with a rather irritated look on her face. "I'm sorry to interrupt all this male bonding but I would like to leave this hospital some time this century."

Both boys looked rather sheepish. Leave it to Sakura to be the voice of reason. "So are you two coming down to the gates with me or not? Kashi said he would meet me there with my stuff."

Sakura scoffed as they walked out of the room and down the hall way. "Of course we're going to the gates with you. Who knows how long this mission will take?"

As they passed Neji's room they could hear some very loud shouts about youth. Naruto cringed and picked up the pace. "I don't think I can take being caught by those two again."

Sasuke smirked. "Oh, come on Naruto. They would be so upset to find out that they missed you."

Naruto pulled down his glasses to reveal a sharp blue glare. "If I get dragged into a conversation about youthful flames again I'm taking you with me Sasuke."

The dark haired boy gulped nervously and sped past the room. "On second thought they seem very happy without us. No reason to intrude."

Stepping outside the hospital was like entering a whole new world. Stark white walls and the suffocating smell of antiseptic were replaced by blue skies and fresh air. Sasuke took in a deep breath and smiled. "Free at last. I swear there is no reason for jails at all. Just put prisoners in the hospital for a few days and they'll be begging for death."

Naruto laughed as Sakura rolled her eyes at the melodramatic statement. "Come on Sasuke it can't be that bad."

Dark eyes darted over to shaded blue ones. "When was the last time you were in the hospital?"

Naruto thought for a moment. "Sometime when I was nine. Come to think of it I wanted to get out just as badly as you. I distinctly remember being cuffed to the bed after my third escape attempt."

At this statement both of his teammates laughed and they spent the rest of their walk to the gates talking about the horrors of hospital food.

* * *

Guard duty was one of the most monotonous tasks a shinobi could be given. Even after the recent invasion the two chuunin could not bring themselves to be more alert. However every now and then something interesting would happen such as now.

Kakashi was standing at the gate holding a small back pack, for once waiting patiently for someone else to arrive while talking to the famous missing nin Zabuza. As if that was not interesting enough to hold their attention there was a very feminine boy trying desperately to get away from a curious Jiraiya screaming at the top of his lungs, "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU? I'M NOT A GIRL!"

This was the strange sight that team seven arrived upon. Naruto's eye twitched at Jiraiya's antics. "I told you that there was nothing to be jealous of Sasuke. Yo! Ero-baka, if you don't stop chasing Haku around I'm not going with you! Perverts I can live with but I don't want to be around anyone with a thing for little boys."

Jiraiya was immediately fuming. "Don't call me that brat. I'm a Sannin and a famous author so I deserve respect. Also I only like beautiful fully developed women." He then pointed an accusing finger at Haku. "No boy has the right to be that pretty!"

Sasuke's eye twitched at Jiraiya's antics. "You're right Naruto. I don't envy you at all."

Jiraiya began to sputter about kids and their lack of respect but he was ignored. Naruto turned to his teammates and smiled. "So I guess this is good bye for a while huh?"

Sasuke merely grunted, but Sakura rushed forward and gave him a hug. Naruto flinched slightly at the unexpected contact but relaxed into her touch. It was a nice experience, being hugged. "Be safe Naruto. I'll never forgive you if you get yourself killed trying to be the hero."

Naruto hugged her back. "Don't worry so much Sakura-chan; I have a Sannin with me. I'll be back with the new Hokage before you know it."

Sakura turned her head and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. He could only just feel it through the thin cloth of his mask. She pulled away, a smile on her lips, a blush gracing her cheeks. "For luck."

Naruto was stuck between damning his mask to hell and thanking Kami for its presence. On the one hand he hadn't been able to fully feel Sakura's good luck kiss, but on the other hand she couldn't see the crimson flush that now dominated his face.

Jiraiya chose that moment to reenter himself into Naruto's awareness by pulling him back toward the gates, Haku and Zabuza following in a much more dignified manner. "Come on brat, we're burning day light." Kakashi tossed Naruto his full pack and waved good bye.

Naruto smiled at his group of friends and waved back. He had come from having nothing, and now he had so many people who cared about him. Batting Jiraiya's hand away from his shoulder he turned around and walked away from his village, this time without team seven at his side.

Sakura sighed in disappointment. "I feel like he's leaving us behind as he goes on to greatness."

Kakashi chuckled; it was nice to see young love that didn't involve the obsessive quality of fan girls. "In a way he is. Naruto has always been destined to be great, but trust me when I say that he will never leave you. You and Sasuke are his friends, and no matter what he becomes or how far he goes he will always be there for you; whether you want him to be or not. Naruto will never abandon his friends."

Sasuke smiled as his only real friend disappeared into the distance. "No, he won't. Now, Naruto mentioned training with you. He may be going on a mission with a Sannin but I refuse to let him show me up when he gets back."

Kakashi sighed in irritation. "Even when that little brat is gone he still finds a way to be annoying. Alright come on you two; let's get some training in before the day is over."

**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I don't feel that it was one of my best but I am going to get started on the next one right away so that you don't all have to wait for ever and a day. Sorry once again for the delay, I assure you my computer is once again in fabulous working order.**

**Ja ne**

**Yooso**


	23. Chapter 23

**Sorry for the long wait. It seems that all I have are excuses now a days. But I don't own Naruto and I doubt you are actually reading this part so on with the story.**

Human Contact

Naruto grumbled to himself in irritation as he tried to meditate. He was supposed to be working on creating an empty sphere of chakra in his hand like Jiraiya told him. There was only one problem, the old pervert wasn't there!

A cute girl had winked at him on their way to the hotel and Jiraiya, being a super pervert, abandoned his charge without a second thought to go skirt chasing. Naruto was considering the idea of blowing off the strange training exercise in favor of coming up with a suitable prank for the Sannin, most likely something involving the ever deadly Harem Jutsu.

There was a knock on the door and Naruto pushed himself off the bed. "She turned him down already huh." He opened the door but not to a rejected Jiraiya as expected.

"Sasuke, what the hell are you doing here?"

The young Uchiha looked a little worse for wear as he stumbled into the room, gasping for breath. "Where is Jiraiya-sama? He's supposed to be with you."

"He's out chasing some random girl. Is something wrong? Was Konoha attacked again?" Naruto was starting to get a very bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"My brother Itachi came back to Konoha. Kakashi-sensei sent me to warn you and Jiraiya-sama." Sasuke was pacing frantically; he seemed to be in a state of shock.

Naruto shook his head in exasperation. He didn't understand what was going on and the foreboding feeling was getting worse. "Sit down Sasuke!" He grabbed the hysterical boy's shoulders and forced him to sit on the bed. "Now take a deep breath and explain what is going on."

Sasuke did as he was told. He must have been shaken if he was taking orders from Naruto of all people. "Kakashi, Sakura and I were coming back from training when we saw them. Itachi and some weird blue fish guy in the village facing off against two other Jounin sensei. I think it was Kurenai and Asuma, but Itachi said that he was only there because he was looking for you.

"When Kakashi heard that, he sent me to warn you, and Sakura to raise the alarm while he joined the fight to hold them off. I got here as fast as I could and I have no idea what happened back in Konoha. Naruto we need Jiraiya! Itachi is after you!"

"Why would he be after me?"

"I don't know, but he killed my entire clan so I doubt it's anything good!"

Naruto pulled off his shades and looked Sasuke strait in the eye. "Sasuke are you okay?"

Sasuke stood up with the same manic energy he displayed upon entering the room. "Don't ask stupid questions right now Naruto, we don't have time!"

Naruto grabbed his shoulders and stared into his black eyes. "Sasuke you just saw the man that killed your family. You just saw your older brother who you have sworn to kill. Now I'm asking you, are you alright?"

Sasuke let out a shuttering breath and shook his head before collapsing back onto the bed. "I hate him so much, but when I saw him standing there I felt like that terrified little boy again begging for his life. If it weren't for Kakashi-sensei I would have rushed to attack him and gotten myself killed."

Naruto sighed and nodded in understanding. He pulled off one of his leather gloves and held out his bare hand.

Sasuke looked at it blankly. "I thought you said I wasn't ready for your memories?"

"You are ready for this one."

Sasuke took his best friend's hand. He saw a crowd of angry people, featureless except for the eyes. Those eyes burned with hatred, disgust and vengeance while their hands held tightly to a myriad of weapons. He felt his tiny body push itself further into the corner, burning with fatigue from a desperate escape attempt, and shaking with fear and despair.

He called out to this crowd of demons and nightmares, his voice trembling and feeble in its desperate plea. "Don't hurt me! I didn't do anything! I'll be good I promise! I don't want to die!" The crowd was deaf to his cries and charged forward without the slightest hint of remorse.

Naruto pulled away and calmly looked at his friend. Sasuke was no longer hysterical and his voice was subdued. "Was that really you?"

Naruto nodded his eyes stony and serious. "That was me a long time ago. But I grew up and so have you. We are not those scared little boys anymore, and we are strong enough not to let our fear or hatred cloud our judgment. As shinobi we are able to control our emotions."

Sasuke took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You're right, I'm a shinobi now. I can handle this."

"Good." There was a knock on the door, making both boys freeze. Naruto glanced over to his friend. Sasuke's eyes had hardened in determination. He was ready to see his brother this time.

"I'm going to open the door. You hide and get a fire technique ready. If it's them then I'll jump out of the way while you release your technique. We'll make a break for the window while they're distracted." Naruto spoke in a hushed whisper and Sasuke's only response was a nod. He desperately wanted to attack his brother but Naruto was right. If Itachi and his partner were behind that door then two genin stood no chance. Their best bet was to get out of there and find Jiraiya.

There was another knock on the door, this one more impatient. Sasuke concealed himself behind the bed and prepared his technique. Naruto put on his glasses and strode purposefully to the door. "I'm coming, I'm coming! Damn, the least you could have done was grab your key before you went chasing girls." His voice held no hint of fear as he opened the door.

Two men were there to great him. The taller one had blue skin, just as Sasuke described, and a huge bundle on his back, most likely a sword. The other man was undoubtedly his teammate's traitor brother. He had the same black hair, though longer and in a ponytail; the same stony expression, though deeply lined with premature wrinkles and of course two blood red sharingan complete with three black tomoe in each.

"Hello Naruto." Itachi's voice was cold and empty, just like his eyes. "I'm afraid you will have to come with us."

Naruto smirked beneath his mask. Even in such a dangerous situation he couldn't help but be a bit cheeky. "I'm sorry but my guardian warned me never to go with strangers." He leapt to the side just in time to avoid Sasuke's attack then made a mad dash for the window, his friend just ahead. They were almost there when Naruto felt a searing pain on the side of his leg, making him collapse with a shout.

Sasuke stopped at the sound and turned to see what had gone wrong. There he saw Naruto on the ground, the outside of his left pant leg ripped open and all the flesh beneath it had been shaved off exposing the bloody muscle from the upper thigh to the ankle.

Itachi laughed lightly at the sight of the two helpless genin. "That was a good plan you and my little brother came up with Naruto-kun. But allow me to introduce you to my partner Kisame. I'm afraid he can be a little bit vicious."

Kisame's lips were twisted into an evil leer that showed off all his perfectly pointed teeth. A strange scale like sword was clutched in his hand. "Come on Itachi, let me just shave off his legs. He doesn't really need those."

Itachi smiled as he looked his little brother in the eyes. They had shifted into the burning red of the sharingan after seeing Naruto's condition and were edged with hate. "No Kisame. The leader will be angry if we bring him damaged goods. Besides, I think my otouto wants to say something to me."

A growl full of hatred escaped Sasuke's lips as he quickly flipped through hand signs. The room was filled with the sound of thousands of chirping birds as lightning crackled in his palm. "YOU BASTARD!"

Sasuke charged forward fuelled by his righteous fury. Today would be Itachi's last. He would wipe his murderous brother off the face of the earth for good with one move. His hand was mere inches away from Itachi's head when the older Uchiha finally reacted.

He grabbed Sasuke's hand, twisting it to the side. This action not only made the attack miss but forced Sasuke to drop the attack as tremendous strain was put on his wrist. With speed that Sasuke could only dream of matching Itachi had slammed him against the wall by the window, hand around his neck.

"So many years and you have hardly improved at all otouto. I expected better from you. Flashy techniques are only as good as the ninja who wield them." He leaned into Sasuke's face as the younger boy desperately tried to get air into his lungs. "You lack hatred."

He gave one slow blink to activate the strange sharingan that still haunted Sasuke's dreams. "Perhaps I should remind you why you fight?" Sasuke gulped as best he could as he looked into those horrible eyes. "Tsukuyomi."

Sasuke was thrown into a world of black white and red. The moon was full as he walked through his family's compound. He was smaller and everything was eerily quiet. His eyes landed on a patch of blood and his mind screamed out in panic as he began running towards the main house. "No not again! Please not this night again!"

Itachi's voice echoed through the air. "Yes Sasuke, this night again. You are in a world of my creation. I control everything in here including time. You will relive this moment over and over for the next three days."

Sasuke breathed heavily as he reached the house. This couldn't be happening to him again. He reached forward to push the door open. No he didn't want to see what was in that room. He tried to pull back but he couldn't control his body anymore. The door slowly slid open to reveal the horrible scene within when suddenly a sharp cry rang through the air. "GET HIM OFF!" The world of Tsukuyomi melted away.

Sasuke returned to the real world to see Naruto desperately clinging to Itachi's ankle with his bare hand, his shirt had been torn to reveal his back bleeding just like his leg. Itachi was shouting out in pain and shock while Naruto bit back his own cries. Kisame stood over the masked boy, sword poised to take his arm off but Naruto refused to let go.

The sword came down to disarm him and Naruto squeezed his eyes closed, prepared for the coming pain. But it never came.

Blue eyes opened to see a large toad blocking the strange sword with one of its metal bracers. Naruto finally allowed himself to relax, fingers slipping from Itachi's ankle. Finally Jiraiya was here.

Itachi let go of Sasuke's neck, allowing the stunned genin to slide to the floor. He was still slightly shaken from his unexpected journey into Naruto's past, but he refused to let it show. "It is an honor to meet you, Jiraiya of the Sannin."

Jiraiya scowled as he placed the passed out young woman he had been carrying on the floor. "I'm afraid I can not say the same thing of you Itachi. Isn't this visit to my apprentice a little bit premature?"

Itachi smirked. It figured that the old man would know what was going on. "Perhaps, but it never hurts to get an early start. Besides Naruto is special, even among his kind."

Jiraiya smirked. "I know, and that is exactly why you will never take him."

Kisame stepped forward, brandishing his sword Samehada. "Enough talk, let's kill this guy, grab the kid and get out of here."

Itachi flung out his arm to stop his battle hungry partner. "No Kisame. Jiraiya-sama may not look like much but he is a Sannin. In our current situation he could probably kill us both."

Jiraiya allowed his hands to move together, fingers twitching in anticipation. "You are just as cunning as they say Itachi. However it has been a while since I had a decent fight. Care to try your luck?"

"Perhaps some other time?" With that said Itachi and his partner jumped through the window before Jiraiya could begin whatever Jutsu he had in mind.

The Toad-Sannin sighed in relief. He was hoping they would believe his bluff. Fighting in a small room with two genin, one of which was injured, and an unconscious civilian was not an ideal situation. He was about to enter the room when something large, fast, green and full of youth collided with his head. Might Gai stood up proudly ready to fight, eyes still closed. "You shall not harm Naruto-kun Uchiha Itachi!"

Jiraiya groaned in pain as his head throbbed. "You're a little late."

Gai's eyes snapped open and he immediately began apologizing to the very pissed off Sannin. This did not put Jiraiya in a better mood as it only increased the pounding in his skull. "That's enough, I forgive you! Just tell me what you are doing here!"

Gai did not have the decency to look ashamed. "I came as soon as I heard that Itachi was after Naruto-kun. I could not stand to leave Kakashi's most youthful student vulnerable while he is incapacitated."

"What happened to Kakashi?!" Naruto still lay on the floor, shivering from pain, but he definitely heard Kakashi and incapacitated in the same sentence. He couldn't bare the thought of loosing another precious person.

Gai noticed the two genin for the first time. One lying mutilated on the floor, the other sitting against the wall with a shell shocked expression on his face. He wanted to run in and help the hurt boy, but he restrained himself. It was common knowledge among Jounin that only Kakashi could touch Naruto. The most he could do was ease both of their minds.

"Kakashi is perfectly fine physically. Itachi used some strange technique on him with the Mangekyo Sharingan. He is now in a coma, but the doctors have confirmed that he will live."

Jiraiya could tell that Naruto desperately wanted to go back. "If anyone in the world can cure him it is Tsunade. Now we just have even more reason to find her and bring her back to Konoha."

Sasuke was the one to speak up this time. "So Kakashi-sensei will be fine as soon as you bring back the new Hokage?"

Jiraiya smiled. "There is no doubt in my mind. Just like there is no doubt in my mind that Naruto will help me do it. Now I want you and Gai to head back to Konoha. I've got an untouchable genin to patch up."

With that the old man swept into the room, leaving the still slumbering girl forgotten on the floor. He pulled on some gloves he had gotten specifically for this purpose and kneeled down to help the injured boy up.

Sasuke paused at the door. "Why would my brother be after Naruto?"

Jiraiya wasn't expecting the question. He was hoping that Sasuke would simply let it go in light of everything that had happened. He sighed as he eased a wincing Naruto to his feet, holding the boy steady.

"I cannot tell you the whole story, but I can tell you that it is because of something far beyond Naruto's control. You will know eventually."

Sasuke simply nodded, but inside he was frustrated. Why was everything about Naruto so mysterious? He was just secret upon secret. It was as if Konoha itself didn't want anyone to find out about Naruto.

Naruto grunted in pain as Jiraiya started trying to help him out of his ruined clothes. "Wait Gai, I need to ask you a favor!" The over zealous man whipped around with a speed that would have injured anyone else.

"What can I do for you Naruto-kun?" He was desperate to do more to help out his best friend's surrogate son.

"Will you help train my teammates while Kashi is out, like you did for me?"

Gai allowed a huge grin to spread across his face and flashed his signature good guy pose. With his teeth sparkling in the light and his thumb up in the air he made a ridiculous picture, but then Gai was not known for being anything less than ridiculous. "Of course Naruto-kun! I will make sure your teammates are shining with the power of youth when you get back!"

Sasuke shuddered at the thought of being forced into green spandex. His eyes turned to Naruto, full of doubt.

Naruto laughed through a wince. "Don't worry Sasuke, the spandex is entirely optional, and no one in the village is better at physical conditioning and taijutsu than Gai. You'll learn a lot from him."

Sasuke smiled weakly, he was still nervous but he did recognize that Naruto was trying to help him, yet again. "Thanks Naruto, for everything." With that said he left the room with the eccentric Jounin, Gai shouting about all the training they were going to do when they got back to the village.

Inside the room Jiraiya went back to getting the destroyed clothes off of a barely standing Naruto. The blonde boy in question finally let his screams of pain rack his body as he forced his exposed muscles to move enough to get undressed. Every little move, every breath of air sent horrible stinging sensations through his body.

"Stop whining, it's not like you lost a limb!"

"Shut up you old pervert! This is like one of those scrapes that stings really bad times one thousand. Besides it's all your fault!"

"My fault? How is this my fault? I'm not the one who attacked you with a giant sword!"

Naruto let out a strangled shout as his pant leg brushed against the stinging wound. He was almost completely naked now. "If you hadn't gone off chasing that girl like a starving dog after a bone then you would have been here and this wouldn't have happened!"

There was a groan from the girl on floor. Both males immediately looked towards her, their faces reminiscent of academy students caught half way through the window while sneaking out of class. The young woman pushed herself off the ground, blinking the sleep out of her eyes. As the room came into focus she took in the old man with the practically naked young boy. The poor woman had no idea what was going on and she definitely didn't want to find out. She let out a piercing shriek and ran from the room, slamming the still open door behind her.

Silence filled the room. Naruto didn't even hiss when a particularly cold draft wafted uncomfortably across his lack of skin. They looked at each other. "I don't think she'll be calling you ero-sennin."

Jiraiya couldn't help but laugh at Naruto's comment. "Come on gaki, let's get you bandaged up."

The old man did not have the neatest hand with medical supplies and by the time he was finished Naruto resembled a mummy. The blond was forced to spend the rest of the day in bed, lying on his stomach. Jiraiya made sure that there was absolutely nothing to relieve the boredom, so Naruto was forced to spend his time practicing the strange chakra control exercise assigned to him earlier. Needless to say that by the time he had regained some movement the next morning he had become an expert at creating empty spheres of chakra in both hands.

**Again sorry for the long wait, I'm in school again now and things are still a bit crazy. I'll try to get updates out faster. I know that I have been kind of sticking to the original story line recently so I did my best to make things interesting in this chapter. It is no where near as long as I wanted it to be but I think it turned out rather well.**

**Thanks for reading and bearing with my slow updates**

**Ja ne**

**Yooso**


	24. Chapter 24

Naruto stared at the water balloon in his hand with immense irritation. He had been swirling his chakra around in it for hours and absolutely nothing happened. He tried adding more chakra, tried using less, he even tried changing the direction he spun it in and nothing. The only thing he had to show for his efforts was that he could get it to go a lot faster if he spun it to the right and not the left.

Once again Jiraiya wasn't even here to help him. He showed Naruto the technique once then left Naruto with a bag full of water balloons to practice on while he went to look for information on Tsunade with Naruto's wallet as a hostage. The blonde cringed at the state his funds would be in by the time Jiraiya got back. The old perv was a fool if he thought Naruto would let him get away with stealing his hard earned money.

The young boy growled as he tossed the infuriating balloon at a tree. It exploded with a rather satisfying splash. He flopped down on the ground and glared at the sky. Water balloons were used for pranks not training. Naruto sighed and rubbed his temples. "Maybe I just need to take my mind off it for a while."

He pulled off his mask and sunglasses, breathing deeply as he watched the clouds float across the sky, reveling in the rare feeling of a soft breeze playing along his skin and hair. He couldn't help but think of Shikamaru in his current situation.

How were the others doing right now? Was Kakashi still in a coma? Was the council able to renegotiate relations with Suna? Had the village been attacked by an enemy in its weakened state?

He shook his head violently to get all the nagging questions out of his mind. Worrying wasn't going to help anyone. The only thing he could do to help Konoha right now was help Jiraiya in his search for the next Hokage and learn.

Naruto pushed himself into a sitting position and pulled one of the balloons out of the bag. Once again he tried to make it pop but with no luck. The more he tried to concentrate the more questions and worries invaded his mind. He slammed the balloon on the ground, barely noticing the water seeping into his black pants as he ran his fingers through his hair. When Sasuke had come to him about Itachi he had done everything to appear strong for his friend, but now.

He couldn't help but feel like a delicate feather swept up by a powerful wind. There was no way for him to control where he went or when he would fall. He was completely helpless.

Naruto slammed his fist on the ground, he hated feeling like this. After taking a deep breath he crossed his legs and tried to centre himself. Meditation had never been something he enjoyed but Kakashi had always recommended it. His fight with Kiba flashed through his head and he couldn't help but smile. It had been Kakashi's emphasis on learning to fight with his unusually sensitive ears that helped him win that fight. The man was usually right.

He inhaled through his nose and allowed the air to burst from his mouth in a deep sigh. "Okay Naruto, where have you come from?"

He had once been a shunned little boy, living alone in a world that hated him. He went through years of physical and emotional abuse, learned to take care of himself whether in an apartment or on the streets. He had been given a power to transfer his fear, sadness, anger and pain onto anyone he touched. The right to feel the warmth and smoothness of another's skin had been taken from him. Oh how he hated that broken little boy.

Once again Naruto breathed the sweet smelling air through his nose, allowing it to fill his lungs with its freshness. He released the old carbon dioxide through his mouth in one rushing breath. With it he released the tiny creature who cowered in the corner of a disheveled apartment, terrified of his new found abilities and without a friend to his name. He would never be that little boy again, he refused.

Another breath, in through the nose, out through the mouth. "Where are you now?"

He had been taken in by Kakashi and created a family where none had existed. He was taught how to fight and how to think for himself. He had learned how to laugh. He had found friends in his fellow ninja, and comrades in Sasuke and Sakura. He was apprenticed to Jiraiya of the Sannin, a great ninja and teacher to the Yondaime Hokage. He had learned to summon, defeated a Hyuuga prodigy, faced down the giant fox he imprisoned and shown a fellow jinchuuriki the light. His power had been altered, he could now transfer immediate sensations as well as memories, and he had gained some small level of control. Now he could pick which memories and feelings he wanted to be seen. He was Uzumaki Naruto.

The air rushed down his nose cool and clean, the hot waist exiting through his mouth carrying with it his doubts as he settled firmly into his current identity. He had grown so much since the beginning and every person he encountered had helped in some way.

Again. In through the nose and out through the mouth. "Where are you going?"

He was on a mission. He was going to find the next Hokage and keep his village safe. He was going to make sure that Tsunade brought Kakashi out of his coma and did her best to heal Lee's mangled limbs. He was going to help his team get stronger so they could face down any obstacle. He was going to earn the respect of his village and become Hokage so that he could protect everyone from the sadness he suffered through as a child. He was going to become great and no one was going to stand in his way!

Naruto's blue eyes snapped open. He grabbed one of those infuriating water balloons and got back on his feet once more. There was no way in hell that he was going to let some water filled latex beat him. He watched intently as he made the water spin to the right faster and faster, but again nothing happened.

He withdrew his chakra and was about to sink into depression again when he stopped himself. If he did that then he would have to start his meditation process all over again. "Okay Naruto, think. What did it look like when Ero-sennin did this?"

He visualized the balloon that the old man had made pop with nothing but chakra that morning. It had bulged out oddly in many directions as if there was a living creature inside it desperately trying to get out. Naruto pushed his chakra back into the balloon making the water spin once more. There was one smooth continuous bulge going round and round in a graceful circle.

Naruto's eyes lit up and a smile spread across his face. He had figured out the trick, no thanks to his useless lump of a sensei. He tried to create another spinning current, but it was hard. It took him fifteen minutes to get three separate currents going at the same time and when he was about to start on the fourth, low and behold his teacher showed up. Naruto's concentration was shattered when Jiraiya called out to him and the three perfect little currents he had managed to create quickly disappeared.

"Argh! You messed me up!" Naruto threw the balloon at Jiraiya's head but the old man dodged and it broke on a tree several feet away.

"I see training is going well. I thought you could use some lunch."

Naruto sighed as his stomach growled. At least Jiraiya had thought enough about him to make sure he ate. "Thanks. I didn't notice how hungry I was getting."

They sat on the grass together eating some fried squid and rice balls. "So have you figured it out yet?"

Naruto swallowed his mouthful of food. "Well I finally figured out that you have to make the water spin in multiple directions at once to make the balloon pop. It's doing it that's the hard part. I had gotten up to three when you showed up and broke my concentration. How about your search for Tsunade?"

Jiraiya had the decency to look suitably impressed. "Three directions already? I didn't expect you to figure out the secret until at least the end of the day." He took a bite of squid choosing to speak with his mouth full. "I found out she was hear about a week ago, so that's good, but now comes the hard part. Now I have to try and find out where she has gone. Odds are we'll be here the rest of the week so you can keep working on making that balloon pop."

Naruto nodded. "Can I have Gama-chan back now?"

The old man stood up. "Not until you pop that balloon." He walked back down the hill without another word. Naruto was tempted to throw the last rice ball at him but thought better of it, and ate it instead. He got back to work immediately. After all, his precious frog wallet was at stake here.

**

* * *

**

Sasuke and Sakura collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion. Gai's idea of training was completely insane, and they had never been so happy for a lunch break. They had run 50 laps around Konoha as a light warm-up before spending the rest of the morning doing various conditioning exercises without breaks. As an added bonus Gai had shown up with a set of weights for each of them. He called them gifts; they called them instruments of torture.

Sakura was undoubtedly in the worst condition, barely hanging on to consciousness. Her muscles screamed in protest at every movement and her lungs burned. Each breath felt like torture as the cold air passed between her teeth and down her mucus clogged throat.

Tenten, who had been in this position before, took pity on the pink haired girl. She pushed her own exhaustion aside to prop the younger girl up and hold her canteen to Sakura's parched lips. "Don't swallow it yet, just swill the water around in your mouth and spit it out."

Sakura obediently did as she was told even though she desperately wanted to swallow the cool liquid. She coughed a few times after spitting the water on the ground, clearing the mucus from her clogged throat. Tenten smiled and put the canteen back at her lips. "Good, now just take a few small sips and then relax for a minute."

Again Sakura did as she was told. Slowly Tenten was able to release her hold on Sakura as she regained the strength to hold herself up. Her muscles still hurt but it was easier to breathe now. Tenten handed her the canteen and this time Sakura was able to take it herself, though her hand shook slightly. "Thanks for all the help."

Tenten smiled warmly. "Don't worry about it, the same thing happens to me all the time. It gets better once you get used to the training schedule."

Sasuke snorted as he rubbed his aching shoulders. "How can anyone get used to this insane training schedule?"

Neji rolled his eyes. "Why am I not surprised that an Uchiha would complain about a little hard work?"

Tenten shook her head in exasperation. It was true that Neji had gotten a lot better since his fight with Naruto, but he was still Neji. A sly look came over her face as she thought of the perfect response to negate the upcoming fight. "I seem to remember a certain Hyuuga saying the same thing on his first day of training."

"I did no such thing." The response was cool and calm. The only indication that he was even slightly ruffled was the tell tale twitch of his left eyebrow.

"Perhaps not in so many words, but you did keep mumbling about insane Jounin in between gasps for air."

Neji stood up, keeping the Hyuuga mask of cool indifference on his face. "There is no doubt that Gai-sensei is insane, but his methods are none the less effective." He then walked away to spend some time expanding the range of his byakugan.

Sasuke sneered in irritation. "What is his problem?"

"Neji is just mad that I managed to make fun of him. He'll get over it soon enough. So how about we go get something to eat?"

Sakura and Sasuke both nodded in agreement, though Sakura needed help getting up. They ended up eating at a small dumpling stand, listening intently while Tenten explained the normal workings of team Gai.

"Mornings are always devoted solely to conditioning. Then we have an hour for lunch. After that we usually pick up a mission, but since Konoha is only handling emergency missions until the new Hokage arrives you won't have to worry about that. All extra time is spent on individual training, though we usually help each other out.

"In the event that Gai-sensei is on a mission without us we are supposed to do the training schedule any way, though Lee was the only one who ever did that seriously." Her voice caught a little bit at the mention of her injured team mate.

It was surprisingly Sasuke who turned the conversation away from the sensitive topic. Though it was probably unintentional. "So we aren't going to be learning any new Jutsu?"

Sakura nudged him in the side for his insensitivity, but Tenten seemed relieved for the change of subject. "We are a taijutsu based team, though Gai-sensei would be happy to help you with any technique you want to work on. He's the one who taught me how to seal my weapons into scrolls."

Sakura perked up at the mention of Tenten's weapons skill. "Hey Tenten, I'll teach you a genjutsu I've been working on if you help me with my weapon work."

A bright smile took over the brunette's face at Sakura's interest in her skill. "I would have helped you without the genjutsu, but I'm always up for learning something new."

Sasuke sighed in irritation, he hated not being able to learn new Jutsu, but he had to make due with what he had. "Do you think you could teach me how to seal weapons like that? It could be useful on missions."

Tenten smiled. "I'd be glad to. I can also help both of you in your evasion training. If of course you are willing to help me in my accuracy on moving targets. Neji is great at blocking my attacks, but Lee was always the one who helped me with evasive opponents."

The two remaining members of team seven shivered at the implication. Tenten had a particularly evil grin on her face. However when they remembered Lee's incredible speed and agility they couldn't help but nod. They would regret that miniscule motion later.

**

* * *

**

Naruto stared down at his battered hands. They were red and raw from chakra burns and his body was actually trembling from the combination of pain and exhaustion. Still he smiled, for at his feet were the fruits of his labors. Three deflated balls littered the ground. True he had not managed to make them explode yet but he had popped them and that was a start. Already he could see the skin on his palms repairing and toughening.

He sat against a tree to rest for a little while before he stubbornly returned to the water balloon exercise. In his desperation to retrieve his wallet he had actually used two hands to create the currents needed to pop the damn thing. It was a good thing he had too, because Gama-chan was returned horribly depleted. He shuddered to think how thin his little frog wallet would have been if he had waited until he could do it one handed. But despite Jiraiya's insistence that Naruto's achievement was sufficient to move onto the next step Naruto still stubbornly returned to the old exercise. There was no way that he was going to settle for good enough.

He was up to five currents, and with his repeated practice combined with trying to make the rubber ball explode he could actually create them pretty quickly now. But creating the sixth was still difficult, and he shuddered to think how hard it would be to create the twenty or so currents needed to actually pop the balloon without using his other hand.

Jiraiya returned to see Naruto glaring at the balloon in his hand as seven perfect little bulges moved beneath the latex surface. He couldn't help but smile as he looked at the blond. The boy's fiery determination was definitely a trait from his mother, but the almost obsessive need for perfection was undoubtedly from his father. It was like seeing both of them fighting to inhabit the same space.

An eighth current appeared to join the others for a while before destabilizing and disappearing. Naruto's eyebrow ticked in irritation and he threw the water balloon at a tree. Jiraiya shook his head, and there was his mother's temper.

"I thought I told you to move on to the rubber ball?"

Naruto looked up, finally noticing the old man's presence. He picked up the leather gloves he had discarded earlier and pulled them back on his now fully healed hands. "I took a break after I hit a rut. I got three balls to pop, but I can't seem to make them explode like you did."

Jiraiya looked down at the three rubber skins on the ground. He couldn't help but let out a low whistle. "I'm impressed you've already gotten this far. Now I need you to take off your right glove."

Blue eyes narrowed in suspicion, but Naruto did as he was told. Jiraiya had already pulled on a pair of gloves and taken out an ink filled brush. He grabbed Naruto's exposed hand and, before the boy could protest, painted a strange spiral symbol on the center of his palm.

Naruto stared at the spiral in confusion as Jiraiya put his gloves and brush away. "That mark I just put on your palm is the secret to the second stage of the Rasengan. Next time you try this don't let your chakra wander all over the place. Make your energy flow around that one little spot, like the eye of a storm."

The serious look disappeared from his face to be replaced by his usual goofy grin. "Now I'm heading back to town to do some research, I'll be back to get you in a few hours." With that said he trotted down the hill giggling to himself.

Naruto's eyebrow twitched in irritation once again. "Why do I always end up with the perverts?" He sighed and got back to work. By the time Jiraiya would return to the hill Naruto would be passed out on the ground, surrounded by bits of rubber, and with a satisfied grin on his whiskered face.

* * *

Itachi sat with his back against the rock staring out at the lake he and Kisame had decided to stop at. The shark man had gone down to the village to get them something to eat. Shop keepers had a tendency to give the blue man very large discounts when faced with his rather monstrous appearance.

Currently he was contemplating the unusual case of one Uzumaki Naruto. They had been so close to capturing the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. Sure the presence of his younger brother was unexpected but it certainly wasn't an imposing obstacle. Two genin were hardly a blip on the nuke-nin's radar under normal circumstances.

Apparently Uzumaki Naruto was anything but normal. The fact that he could force himself to move after being hit by the Samehada was amazing on its own. Then there was the strange attack that the boy had used on him. It was almost like Tsukuyomi, and yet entirely different at the same time. It was so powerful that it had actually broken his concentration and destroyed his illusion.

He had seen horrible things, felt the pain of having his skin shaved off by Samehada and yet it had been no illusion. Itachi was sure of that, his regular sharingan could see through any genjutsu, and this one had gotten past the Mangekyo Sharingan without problem.

The only thing he could tell for sure about the attack was that skin contact was necessary, seeing as the boy had worked so hard to keep contact with his ankle. Easy enough to avoid in the boy's current state, but Jiraiya would no doubt soon change that. Their window to capture the Kyuubi jinchuuriki was shrinking quickly; for there was no doubt that the boy would improve at an alarming rate now that Konoha new Akatsuki was after him. He doubted Jiraiya would leave Naruto unprotected until the boy was fully capable of protecting himself.

It was all getting so frustrating. Capturing a thirteen year old boy should have been a reasonably simple mission, no matter how powerful the demon he contained; after all Itachi had killed the entire Uchiha clan single handedly, and he was traveling with an equally notorious partner. Yet here he was waiting for said partner to come back with a sufficient supply of Poky for him to smother his irritation in. It was almost enough to make the apathetic man show emotion.

He would of course succeed in his mission in the end. There was no question of that, and the Kyuubi would not be needed for some time. But still, that a genin could cause so much trouble was enough to grate on Kami's nerves. He had to bite back a growl, even his younger brother's constant please for training and attention hadn't been this irritating.

Kisame returned to see Itachi in exactly the same position he had been in before. He personally did not understand the Uchiha's distress, but then he had not felt the strange attack that Itachi had tried to describe. He let out a sigh, and handed the dark haired shinobi a box of strawberry Poky while he settled down to enjoy his sushi and maybe go for a nice swim. His gills were starting to feel a bit dry.

**

* * *

**

Sakura panted in exhaustion as she hid behind a tree. Tenten was a relentless attacker, and the older girl was actually taking it easy on her. She gritted her teeth in disgust at her own helplessness. It had been her idea to practice evasion with Tenten, even after bandaging up Sasuke from such a session.

Tenten had been ecstatic at the prospect of working with two moving targets instead of just one. Sasuke was currently drawing fire while she rested and she hated herself for needing his protection, again. Carefully glancing out around the tree she watched him dodge projectiles from Tenten. The girl was well hidden so he had no chance of retaliation and it was only a matter of time before she rooted Sakura out of hiding.

Sakura couldn't keep sitting here doing nothing, they needed a plan. She glanced down at the scars she had given herself during the chuunin exams; mementos of her desperate attempt to stay awake and protect her teammates. They reminded her that even she could be strong in a pinch. Sasuke needed a good strategy, and if there was one thing that had made her shine in the academy it was her intelligence. She smiled softly as she got an idea. It was time to start fighting smart.

All it took was a few hand seals and she had herself a perfect bunshin. True it was not corporeal like Naruto's, but it should provide sufficient distraction as long as it was able to evade. The copy ran out onto the field dodging attacks as quickly and fluidly as possible. Sakura moved to a better hiding place quickly and put all her concentration into analyzing Tenten's movements. She knew she didn't have long. She was not so vain as to think highly of her dodging skills. It would only take one hit for Tenten to notice the illusion. But every fighter had a pattern, a system, whether they knew it or not, and Sakura was going to find it out.

It didn't take long for her realize that Tenten liked to stick to three hiding places. She quickly switched between them while keeping up a constant rain of weaponry to keep her opponent from pinpointing her location. But there was a rhythm to these switches almost like a dance, and Sakura easily figured it out.

A kunai flew through her bunshin's leg and Sakura knew her time was up, but she had gotten what she needed. She leapt from her hiding spot and rejoined Sasuke on the battle field. She pulled a kunai of her own and murmured instructions to Sasuke.

"When I say go I want you to send a fire attack at the tree sixty degrees to your left, five branches up on the left side."

The boy growled as he blocked another kunai. "What are you talking about Sakura, I don't have the time to prepare a Jutsu with all these weapons flying at me. Besides there is no guarantee that it will hit."

"Trust me Sasuke it will hit, and don't worry about the weapons, I'll cover you."

He looked doubtful, and with good reason. Sakura was sporting far more cuts than he was, and she had never been a very proactive member of the team. But he could see the burning determination in her green eyes. Haruno Sakura had something to prove right now, and he would never hear the end of it if he didn't help her. "Alright, but if this doesn't work it will be all your fault."

"It will work. I know it will." Sakura slowly counted the seconds in her head. There would be a quick lull in attack as Tenten changed her position in about five seconds. That moment was crucial. "Now!" The command came out in an urgent whisper and Sasuke started his hand seals.

Sakura used the pause in attack to place herself firmly between Sasuke and Tenten's new position. She only had to block a few kunai before Sasuke slid from behind her and launched his attack.

Tenten was shocked to see a giant fireball come straight towards her position. In panic she leapt off the branch and into the clearing, avoiding any major damage but getting singed in the process. She was shocked when she felt the blade of a kunai lightly tap against her exposed throat.

Sakura stood behind her, a triumphant grin on her face as she held her weapon steady against Tenten's neck. "Looks like we win this round Tenten-chan."

The brunette smiled lightly and nodded as Sakura put her kunai away. "I didn't expect the Sharingan to be able to pinpoint my exact location."

Sasuke shook his head, a stoic frown on his face. "It was Sakura that found you, not me."

Tenten was intrigued. "Only Neji had ever been able to find my precise location so quickly, and he has the Byakugan to help him. So how did you find me so easily Sakura-chan?"

The pink haired girl blushed slightly. She was not used to being complemented on her battle skills. "Actually it would have been impossible for me to find you while pinned down by all those weapons, but when Sasuke covered for me while I got some rest, I had enough time to make a plan.

"I used the bunshin to buy a little time and found a place to analyze your movements. You stick to three hiding places and move between them at precise intervals that allow you to keep up a near constant barrage of weapons. All it took was some simple math and I was able to figure out your rhythm. Once I had that I rejoined the fight and was able to tell Sasuke exactly when and where to attack."

Both Tenten and Sasuke were surprised at the girl's intelligence. She had managed to do all that in little more than a minute. Now Sasuke could see exactly how Sakura had earned her place as top girl of their class. She was far more useful than he had first believed.

Tenten looked a little put out. "I had no idea my attack had so many holes in it."

Sakura shook her head. "Actually your attack pattern was almost flawless. By using such a simple pattern you were able to attack without thinking, making it almost impossible for the person attacked to analyze your movements. Against one opponent it is a perfect strategy. You were up against two opponents, and you were going easy on me which are the only reasons you lost."

Tenten nodded in understanding. She was really beginning to like the younger kunoichi. Sakura had a very sharp analytical mind that allowed her to see both the strengths and flaws in an attack. In addition to that she could be tricky and subtle. The genjutsu she was teaching Tenten was dangerously simple, it messed with an opponent's depth perception ever so slightly. The technique was simple to break, but so light that it often went unnoticed. It could be a powerful weapon both for and against someone of Tenten's skill set.

Sasuke sat down on the grass and yawned, after going through Gai's morning torture, then dodging Tenten's kunai for so long, that fire Jutsu had really wiped him out. Tenten joined him while Sakura went to retrieve her medical kit.

"Do you have another training session with Gai this evening?"

Sasuke nodded. Gai had come to him with some interesting tactics for fighting an Uchiha. The idea was to concentrate on the opponent's feet, making it impossible to be caught in a genjutsu. After his last encounter with Itachi, where he had barely escaped a trip into Tsukuyomi thanks to Naruto's help, it was painfully obvious that he would probably never compare to his older brother in genjutsu. So for now, he was going to focus on one skill set that the Uchiha often ignored, taijutsu.

"I never expected to be pushed so hard in taijutsu before, and he won't let me use my sharingan at all. Something about learning without the aid of a crutch."

Tenten laughed lightly. "That's Gai alright. He won't let Neji use the byakugan during taijutsu training either. Gai-sensei believes that a ninja's body is their greatest weapon, so everyone should learn how to use it in its purest form, without any outside help. If you can learn to be an effective fighter without kekei genkai, chakra, or weapons then you will be undefeatable with them." She looked sadly down at the ground. "That's why he liked Lee so much."

Sasuke nodded in understanding even though she wasn't looking at him. Team Gai was a very proud team, they all worked tremendously hard. Even Neji who was hailed as a prodigy worked himself to exhaustion every day. Working with them he was beginning to understand what Kakashi had meant about using the sharingan as a tool, not a short cut.

Sakura jogged back over to them with her medical kit in hand. It had become a sort of ritual that she would be the one to patch him up after one of his evasion sessions with Tenten. As he watched her wipe down his wounds with antiseptic before deftly bandaging him up he couldn't help but notice how good she was getting.

* * *

Naruto had found it immensely satisfying when he finally got the rubber ball to burst. In fact he had done it several more times not long after he recovered from chakra exhaustion. Of course Jiraiya did not allow that sense of triumph to last long and immediately started him on the final step.

Naruto found this step particularly irritating because after being told to pop something over and over again he now had to do the exact opposite. Not popping a balloon was proving to be even more difficult than popping one. As if that wasn't enough Jiraiya had picked up the trail again so now he had to walk while he trained. He felt like screaming. What kind of crazy person had the Yondaime been to think up a move like this?

Jiraiya of course was being no help at all. The old pervert laughed every time the attack blew up in Naruto's face. This of course sent Naruto flying every single time, and only served to increase his frustration. Still Naruto refused to give up, and he would immediately blow up another balloon to start the whole process over again.

Of course Naruto was still determined to do the original exercise correctly. He was convinced that as soon as he learned to pop a water balloon with one hand, not popping a regular balloon would be easy. So every time they stopped for the night he would diligently return to the original exercise.

Jiraiya couldn't help but be impressed by the boy's stubbornness. It reminded him so much of Naruto's mother. While Minato tended to be calm and patient Kushina always had some fire in her. The woman had been so impulsive and impatient but she also had a stubborn streak that could move mountains. As he watched Naruto painstakingly add a twelfth current to the water balloon, he could see that same streak that made the boy's mother so good.

The next morning Naruto was woken up by a sharp jab to the ribs. He bolted upward, only to find that it had been Jiraiya poking him with a stick. He growled in irritation as he put his sunglasses back on. "You could have shaken me awake you know? I did fall asleep in my clothes last night."

Jiraiya gave him an irritatingly goofy smile. Now he understood why Kakashi got so annoyed when he did that. "I would have, but you're covered in water."

Naruto suddenly became painfully aware that his wet clothes were uncomfortably clingy. He had been so irritated with Jiraiya that he hadn't even noticed being covered in water. It took him a moment to remember that he had finally popped the damn water balloon with one hand last night, before promptly passing out. His irritation immediately disappeared and Jiraiya was bombarded with woops of victory as the twelve year old boy bounded around their camp site.

He smiled lightly, as Naruto did his victory dance. He was incredibly proud of the young man, but he wasn't about to give Naruto the satisfaction of knowing that. "Alright, alright enough with the dancing and yelling. If you aren't changed into something dry in the next five minutes then you are going to be walking in wet clothes."

Naruto stopped immediately and pulled a dry outfit from his bag. The fear of chaffing was enough to bring him back to earth, but not enough to dampen his good mood. He actually hummed to himself as he changed, opting to wear his casual clothes as a self reward. Besides, with his half mask and red hooded jacket on instead of his full mask he could pull the hood down to let his hair dry.

He got a sudden memory of Sakura as he pulled the jacket on. This was what he had been wearing when she joined him for ramen that day. She had walked into Ichiraku's and pulled his hood down, scarring him, then after lunch and a light spar they had laid down in the training field and just talked. He remembered her laughter; she had laughed a lot that day. The memory made him smile, though there was a tinge of sadness to it.

"Hey shorty, your five minutes are up!"

"I'm comin, I'm comin. Geez you act like you've been waiting half an hour."

"How do you know I haven't?"

"You don't wake up that early."

They didn't reach the town until early that evening, and Naruto had managed to blow himself up more times than he cared to remember. The excitement of breaking the water balloon with one hand had worn off after the first five balloons were destroyed. Needless to say he was not in the mood when Jiraiya dragged him into a bar for dinner instead of a real restaurant.

An extremely busty blond woman spit out her Sake and shouted out Jiraiya's name the moment they walked in. At first Naruto thought she must be one of the many women that the perverted old man had violated in the name of research. Imagine his surprise when the attractive blond turned out to be Jiraiya's old teammate Tsunade, the exact person they had been looking for all this time.

Naruto was not happy. He was hungry, he was bored, and the black haired girl with the pig sitting opposite him would not stop staring. The bar smelled terrible, and he desperately wished he could go outside and continue training.

**

* * *

**

Jiraiya and Tsunade had not said anything yet. They simply sat across from each other drinking and playing some weird card game that seemed to have no rules. They hadn't bothered to ask if anyone else wanted to join in, just started slowly drawing cards.

"Sarutobi is dead."

The blunt statement made Naruto wince slightly, but Tsunade did not react. "So I heard. It seems to be a day of reunions. Orochimaru tracked me down earlier and told me the whole story. The old man did quite a number on his arms." She drew another card.

Jiraiya's fingers stiffened slightly around his cards at Orochimaru's name. It was almost imperceptible, but Naruto saw it due to years of playing poker. It was a tell. Jiraiya was nervous.

"The council would like you to become the next Hokage." He drew a card.

Tsunade kept her dead stare on her cards, but there was a slight tightening of her jaw. "Only a fool would take that job." She drew another card.

Naruto's fists clenched under the table, but Jiraiya seemed unsurprised by her answer. He drew another card. "The village will fall without a Hokage, and you are the only one qualified for the job Tsunade-hime."

She was unfazed by his appeal to her conscience. "You are just as strong as I am Jiraiya, why don't you take the job?" She drew another card.

Jiraiya chuckled lightly as he pulled another card from the deck. "You and I both know that I would make a horrible Hokage. That's why sensei picked Minato instead of me."

Tsunade did not disagree with him, but pulled another card. Her eyebrow twitched at the sight of her hand and she set her cards face down on the table. She had not drawn the card she hoped for. She crossed her arms over her ample chest and finally made eye contact with Jiraiya. "Who's the brat?"

Naruto snapped out of the bored haze he had been observing through. He had not expected to be brought up in this conversation.

Jiraiya placed a hand on Naruto's head, rubbing the hood around roughly which messed up the hair underneath. Naruto growled in irritation, but Jiraiya paid no mind. "This is Uzumaki Naruto, my new apprentice."

"And here I thought you would never take another student."

Jiraiya smirked slightly. "Things change and Naruto here is a very special case."

Tsunade scoffed. "You and I both know that things don't change." For the first time since they entered the bar Naruto found himself under her full attention. "What's with all the clothes gaki? Are you shy, or are you just that ugly?"

Naruto recognized that look in her eyes, he had seen it countless times, and she wanted to see under the mask. He nervously readjusted the hood of his red jacket, and returned to his old lie. "I have a skin condition."

There was a twinkle in her eye. She knew he was lying. Naruto couldn't help but shrink into himself slightly. He was no fool, if she decided that she wanted to see under the hood and mask he would not be able to stop her. "You know I am a famous medic, I might be able to help you."

"I'd rather you didn't." He was sweating so much that his sun glasses started slipping down his nose forcing him to push them back up.

Tsunade smirked. "Didn't your mommy ever tell you to listen to your doctor?"

She quickly reached across the table to flip back his hood but Jiraiya grabbed her wrist. Naruto sighed in relief. "This is not something that can be cured Tsunade-hime, not even by you. Now about you becoming Hokage?"

He released her wrist and Tsunade leaned back in her seat, fully aware that she could no longer avoid the situation. "I will not be the next Hokage. Konoha has taken everything from me, and given nothing in return. Only fools like the old man choose to be Hokage, and they all die the same way, as fools trying to protect an ungrateful village."

Naruto slammed his hand down on the table. He didn't want to hear any more from her. "That's enough! Don't you dare talk about jiji that way in front of me!" His voice had retreated from his usual tenor into a low rasping growl. He snapped his head to the side to glare at Jiraiya. "There is no way a weak coward like her could ever be Hokage. She doesn't deserve to say Sarutobi-jiji's name let alone take his title."

Tsunade let out a dry laugh. "Weak? Coward? Tell me kid do you have any idea who I am?"

Naruto returned his shaded glare to the blond woman. "I know exactly who you are. You are nothing but a pathetic shadow of the woman who once was Senjuu Tsunade, greatest medic and kunoichi of her time. You do not have what it takes to be Hokage."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed, he had hit a nerve. "It's easy to be idealistic when you're nothing but a wet behind the ears genin. I've experienced more pain and loss then you could ever imagine."

Naruto did not back down. "You didn't experience it, you were crushed by it, and that is why you are too weak to be Hokage."

Shizune saw the warning signs but it still happened too fast for her to warn Naruto. The hit sent him flying out of the bar. Tsunade followed his tumbling body. "Don't talk about things that you don't understand gaki."

Jiraiya and Shizune followed her out. "You better stop her, she might hurt him."

Jiraiya shook his head. "He can handle it, besides this is exactly why I brought him along."

"What do you mean?" The dark haired girl was confused.

"If there is anyone that can give Tsunade a strong dose of reality its Naruto."

Naruto pushed himself off the ground slowly, his whole body felt like a giant bruise. His hood and glasses were of course knocked off revealing messy blond hair and bright blue eyes. People in the streets were running from the destruction but he paid them no mind as he stepped toward Tsunade shaking debris from his hair as he tried to clear his head.

He paused when he heard an audible crunching sound. His eyebrow twitched in irritation as he lifted his right boot. There on the ground lay the mangled remains of his sunglasses. "Great. Just great."

"What's the matter kid? Feeling a bit vulnerable without your shades?" The boy reminded her of someone, but Tsunade couldn't quite place it.

Naruto picked the crushed lenses up off the ground and sighed. "I don't know. Do you feel more secure after beating a thirteen year old? I always thought people were supposed to mature with age, but you remind me of an eight year old boy I met in Wave Country. Then again he was a lot stronger than you."

Tsunade was really pissed off now. Who did this brat think he was talking to her like that? "Stronger than me, hah, I could beat a little punk like you with one finger."

"I'm sure you could, but I bet I could cause you just as much pain as you cause me."

He was a cocky little brat that was for sure. "I doubt that."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Oh I will, because unlike you I am strong and I will become Hokage one day."

Tsunade laughed. "What a stupid dream. Tell you what kid, if you manage to back up your words I'll apologize for what I said about the old man, but if you can't you have to admit that there is no way someone like you can become Hokage."

Bright blue eyes sparkled slyly as Naruto slid into a fighting stance. "It's a bet." That said he charged forward recklessly.

Tsunade rolled her eyes, this was going to be too easy. She raised her arm so it was level with his forehead and prepared her defense. When Naruto was within range she flicked him.

On the side lines Shizune gasped in shock. It was unmistakable, Tsunade had yelped in shock and pain the second her finger came in contact with Naruto's forehead. The boy in question had apparently been fully prepared for the blow as he flipped over in mid air so that he could land safely, though he did look slightly disoriented.

"Looks like I win the bet."

Tsunade stared at him in shock, hand on her forehead. "How did you do that?"

Naruto shrugged as he pulled his hood back on. "I wasn't lying when I told you I had a skin condition. Now apologize for what you said about jiji!"

Tsunade growled. "I'll do no such thing, you tricked me."

Naruto shook his head. "I should have known you'd welch. Yo, ero-sennin, I'm going to get a new pair of glasses and some real food. I'll meet you back at the inn."

Jiraiya simply nodded and waived him off. Tsunade stomped towards him after the boy left. "Who is he?" Jiraiya did not answer right away but instead ushered Tsunade and her apprentice back into the bar.

Once they were supplied with another round of Sake he decided to talk. "That boy, Tsunade-hime, happens to be the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune."

Both women gasped in surprise. "So that's why you took him on as your apprentice." It all made sense to Tsunade now. Of course Jiraiya would teach Minato's legacy.

Jiraiya nodded. "I actually wasn't planning to start teaching him until he reached chuunin, but the little brat black mailed me. After that he turned out to be so interesting I couldn't bring myself to leave him alone. That kid is absolutely amazing. At thirteen years old he can already summon Gamabunta, perform kage bunshin and he's working on the final stage of the rasengan."

"You're teaching him that already?"

Jiraiya nodded at Tsunade, Shizune was too shocked to speak. "Like I said he's amazing."

Tsunade downed a saucer of Sake. "Alright, but what the hell did he do to me?"

Jiraiya's smile was no longer sly and knowing, it now had a sober quality that did not often grace his features. "It's called the Kagyaku, and to understand it you must understand something about Naruto. That boy's life has been little better than a living hell. He's been alone since birth, was tossed out on the street at three years old. He lived out there for a year before Sarutobi-sensei found him and gave him an apartment and an allowance to live off of.

"Sensei was the first person to show him kindness, so you can imagine why your insult upset him so much. Before Sarutobi the only things Naruto had ever received from other people physical and emotional abuse. Even with an Anbu guard things didn't get too much better for the boy. True the physical attacks were greatly reduced but apparently everyone still ignored him, and he had trouble buying food which explains his size."

Tears were spilling out of Shizune's eyes by this point. "That's just terrible. How could anyone do that to a child?"

Tsunade downed another drink. "Stupid villagers, that's Konoha for you."

Jiraiya chuckled. "I wouldn't let Naruto hear you say that. There is nothing in this world he loves more than that village."

"Then he's an idiot, but you still haven't explained what he did to me."

"Alright, alright. It was his tenth birthday when it happened. The Anbu guard was careless that night and someone infiltrated Naruto's apartment. He tortured the boy and would have killed him if the Kyuubi hadn't intervened. The fox gave Naruto a special power that was later named the Kagyaku. All Naruto has to do is touch someone with his bare skin, and they are forced to live through every horrible or painful memory of Naruto's life. The man was found the next morning in a coma."

More tears gushed from Shizune's eyes. She couldn't speak through her sobs. Even Tsunade was beginning to feel guilty for the things she had said to the boy. "That's some ability."

Jiraiya nodded before downing his own saucer of Sake. "The worst part is that now Naruto can't turn it off. The only way for someone to touch him without suffering the effects is to live through all his memories without breaking down. Only his guardian Kakashi has done it.

"Naruto has resigned himself to a life alone, because he doesn't want to put anyone through his pain, but he still fights to be happy. That is why he sees someone like you as weak. You stopped fighting, and gave into the pain."

Tsunade stood up and walked to the door. She stopped at the exit and, without turning around, said one last thing before leaving. "I'll give you my answer in one week." Then she walked out.

**I'm sorry this took so long for me to update. I had really bad writers block, but I wrote an extra long chapter with some recap in it. This one is almost forty pages long and it took me forever. I'll get to work on the next one right away.**


	25. Chapter 25

**For anyone who is still with me at this point, I apologize for the long delay. I have lost some of my interest in this story, and I feel like my writing has lost its flow. However I will not be killing this story, nor will I be putting it on hiatus. I am going to reread what I have written and see if that gets me back on track. Hopefully I'll be writing again very soon. I'm out of classes right now so I have a lot more time to write.**

Once again Naruto found himself glaring at a balloon. To think he once used these evil things in his pranks. He would certainly never use them again, because he would probably have a life long hatred of balloons after this training was over. The evil thing blew up in his face again, almost as if to spite him, and Naruto was knocked onto his back.

He let out an irritated growl, and just lay there for a moment staring up at the sky. Jiraiya hadn't been kidding when he said that this was the hardest step in the training. They had been here for almost a week, and even though he practiced constantly he hadn't made much progress. After breaking the water balloon with one hand had lead to little improvement in the final stage, he had stubbornly returned to perfecting the second step. He had managed to destroy the rubber ball with one hand earlier that day, though it still took him a long time to do it. Even with all that improvement on the fundamentals he still couldn't stabilize the rasengan, not even when using two hands. It was frustrating.

Naruto pushed his sore body into a sitting position and grabbed the canteen of water he had brought with him. Kakashi had taught him early on in his training that it was important to drink plenty of water in small amounts to both keep the body hydrated and prevent muscle cramps. He grabbed the fabric over the bridge of his nose and tugged until the hole that usual only revealed his eyes uncovered his nose and mouth as well. It was easier to breath without the thin cloth as an obstruction, and he inhaled deeply before taking a small sip of his water. After yesterday's incident with Tsunade he had decided it was safer to stick with the full mask, instead of the preferred hood and half mask, while in town. He didn't want any accidents.

He was about to inflate another balloon and resume training when someone cleared their throat. The unexpected sound caused him to jump and turn around. He mentally chastised himself for being unaware of his surroundings; such carelessness could mean certain death to a ninja.

Tsunade smirked lightly at the boy's obvious surprise. She hadn't tried particularly hard to conceal her presence, but he had been so focused on the task at hand that he had excluded everything else. Such single mindedness was both a blessing and a curse.

"What do you want Tsunade-san?" He resituated his mask over his cheeks and nose, leaving Tsunade with no facial features, but his new dark glasses, to look at.

There was a certain coldness to the boy's tone that lacked any semblance of respect. His insolence made Tsunade's eye twitch slightly, the only sign of her irritation. "You lack the control necessary for that technique, you should give up."

Naruto was unfazed by her callous observation. "If I gave up every time things got tough I wouldn't be here today, so forgive me for not taking your advice."

His statement held an air of dismissal which Tsunade chose to ignore. She had come to learn more about this strange, ambitious boy, and she would not leave now. However it was obvious that he did not respond well to belittlement, so she would have to drastically change her tactics.

Naruto learned a lot about Tsunade in their first encounter. She was a woman broken by grief, but she was still incredibly proud. Her pride was one of the few things she had left in the world, and he could tell that she refused to let anyone take it away from her. So he was surprised when she lowered herself to the grass across from him rather than leave at his rude tone. But he refused to show it.

"You still haven't told me what you want Tsunade-san."

Her eyes narrowed slightly at the continued insolence. "You are an interesting person Naruto-san. I simply want to know more about the genin who has the gall to speak to a Sannin in such a way."

Naruto could tell that she was playing a game with him. Her formal tone was mocking. "Respect is earned, not freely given Tsunade-san." His words practically oozed contempt.

Tsunade smirked slightly. The kid definitely had balls. "Very well, you don't like me, and I certainly don't like you. On this at least we agree. But that doesn't mean we can't have a civilized conversation.

Naruto grimly nodded and sat down opposite her. He wanted to continue being childish and rude. He wanted to storm away in a huff, and leave her sitting on her fat ass, hopefully with a stunned look on her face. But then she would have won, and he refused to hand over even the smallest victory, and so he stayed.

Tsunade smirked lightly. She knew that he would not back down from her challenge, no matter how small it was. Thirteen year old boys tended to be very prideful and stubborn, no matter how unusual or special they might be. "Why do you want to be Hokage?"

Naruto blinked in surprise at the question, though she couldn't see it. He had told many people about his dream. Most scoffed and told him that he would never achieve such a goal. A precious few believed in him, and said he would make a fine Hokage, but hardly anyone ever asked him why. In fact, so few people asked him why that he hardly ever thought about the reason any more. He was embarrassed to discover that he spent so much time defending his dream that he had completely forgotten why, and was forced to think about the question before giving an answer.

The pause was longer than Tsunade had expected, and she was about to repeat the question when he finally cleared his throat to answer. "Everyone loves and respects the Hokage." His voice was surprisingly small, very different from the brash child that called her a coward yesterday, and she leaned forward slightly to hear the rest of his answer.

"The villagers and ninja all trust him with their lives every day. They would never ignore him, or call him a demon, because they all know that when trouble comes he is willing to protect them all with his life, his soul even. Everyone in the village is like a member of the Hokage's family, from the head of the Hyuuga clan, to an orphan like me.

"I want that more than anything in this world; to know that everyone trusts me enough to protect them, and care for me enough to let me into their family. I would gladly give up my life to feel like that, just once, and I would die to protect it."

She had not expected such a profound answer from a young boy. He hadn't tried to give her some idealistic bullshit about self sacrifice; nor had he told her something childish about strength and being a hero. Naruto simply wanted acceptance, and he was so desperate that he would do anything to get it, even die. It was a strange how something so selfish could also be incredibly selfless.

Her eyes stung slightly from tears that she refused to even allow to glisten in her eyes. This little brat sitting before her managed to remind her of Dan and Nawaki, the fiancé and little brother that she had lost to the pursuit of the same foolish dream. Naruto's very existence suddenly made her angry. "How do you not hate them?"

The sharp tone, accompanied by the rather sensitive question, stabbed into Naruto like a kunai. He couldn't control the compulsion to shrink into himself slightly, and his jaw clenched with self loathing. The idea of allowing this woman to see any weakness was repugnant.

"I did hate them." The words sounded wooden and unemotional, even to his ears. "It was impossible for me not to, but hating them didn't make things better. Hating them didn't make me feel better, what did was when someone was finally nice to me." The words came easier now, and he was beginning to sound like his old self again. "Old man Teuchi gave me food when I was starving. Hokage-jiji gave me a place to live when I had nothing. Iruka-sensei listened to me when no one seemed to care. Kashi protected me when I thought no one would." He was back to his old self again, voice strong and clear. "It's easy to hate the villagers, but it's also exhausting. Happiness is a lot harder to come by, but I prefer it."

Naruto stood up and brushed off his pants. He didn't want to answer anymore stupid questions. "If you don't mind, I've got a technique to work on." He didn't wait for a reply, simply began inflating the balloon he had been interrupted with earlier.

Tsunade didn't stop him. She had bothered the kid enough for the day. She sighed as she pushed herself off the ground. "It is a rather impressive technique when completed. To keep so much violent movement tightly compressed in a ball is truly amazing."

Naruto froze as she walked away. His mind went back to the time he spent creating a spherical shell of chakra, as he waited for the wounds he received from Kisame's sword to heal. He hadn't thought about the exercise since that day. He just filed it away as something Jiraiya gave him to do so that the old man could get some research done. Now, after hearing Tsunade's comment he felt a bit stupid. What was there better to contain his chakra than his own chakra?

He immediately got to work on the idea, silently thanking the old lady for the tip. Why couldn't Jiraiya ever be so helpful?

* * *

Tsunade was sitting at a small road side stand drinking sake, when Jiraiya approached her. He gestured the bartender for another bottle and a second saucer. The toad sage glanced over at his old teammate as he poured clear liquid into his own saucer. "So, how did your talk with my new prodigy go?"

Tsunade snorted as she downed another saucer. "I wouldn't call him a prodigy. That kid doesn't seem to have natural talent. His chakra is so wild that I doubt his control will ever be more than mediocre."

Jiraiya chuckled lightly as he poured her another saucer. "Our team always did have different views on what qualities make the best ninja. You always place your focus on precision and control, Orochimaru felt that ruthlessness and cunning were the most important. I, on the other hand, value creativity and heart. Naruto has both in spades, so to me he is a prodigy. But you didn't answer my question Tsunade-hime."

She shook her blond head in irritation, and tossed back the alcohol, relishing in the slight burning sensation as it slid down her throat. "You sound like that brat of yours." She poured another saucer, and she and Jiraiya saluted each other silently before emptying the small dishes. "He reminded me so much of them. The same foolish dream, the same blind devotion to the village, and he'll probably have the same messy end." She downed another saucer, her face pulled into a bitter expression.

Jiraiya shook his head sadly as he watched his broken teammate. "I don't think that will be Naruto's fate, and if it is I don't think he will care. I talked to Kakashi before we left the village."

"Minato's student?"

Jiraiya nodded and sipped his sake. "He's been acting as Naruto's guardian for the past three years. He told me about Naruto's training and personality. Apparently when Kakashi showed him the hero's monument Naruto said, 'getting your name on that stone is the only way to go'."

A smile tugged at the corner of Jiraiya's lips as he pictured his young student saying such a thing. Naruto had a true warrior's spirit. "I don't think he will be happy if he doesn't die fighting."

Tsunade had been watching her old teammate intently as he spoke, her sake almost forgotten. Jiraiya had been broken by grief when Minato died. The toad sage had been almost as bad as her, pulling away from the village and submerging himself in writing his perverse books. She had heard him swear that he would never take on another student, for no one could ever compare to Namikaze Minato. Yet here he was, with another student. He was genuinely smiling again.

She picked up the sake and poured them each a saucer. "He's not Minato you know?"

Jiraiya grabbed his saucer and gulped it down before pouring another. "I know that. Naruto will never compare to Minato." He downed the saucer, and let out a satisfied sigh. "Naruto will be far greater one day."

Tsunade's eyes widened slightly at Jiraiya's statement. To Jiraiya Minato had been the perfect student, yet here he was proclaiming that another student was better. She sighed as she looked at her reflection in the little saucer of clear rice wine in her hand. "I don't think Nawaki and Dan would be very proud of me."

Jiraiya gave her a questioning look as she drank. She placed the empty saucer on the table, but did not refill it. "Here I am refusing to go back to my home village because I lost a few precious people, when a boy, who has every reason to hate Konoha, stays and fights. I feel like I've failed them."

Jiraiya patted her back with one hand as he filled her saucer with the other. "I don't think that they would blame you for mourning. Besides there is still plenty of time."

Tsunade drank the sake he had poured for her, and glanced over at him as he lifted his own saucer to his lips. "Orochimaru promised to bring them back to me if I fix his arms."

Jiraiya choked and spluttered, desperately trying to clear his airway of alcohol. "You aren't seriously considering helping that bastard!?"

She looked down in shame. Jiraiya would never allow himself to be tempted by such an offer from Orochimaru. "I was at first, but I wouldn't want Dan and Nawaki to see me like this." She ignored Jiraiya's sigh of relief. "He will be here tomorrow morning, for my answer."

Jiraiya's face became stony as he thought of his traitorous teammate. When his eyes met Tsunade's there wasn't even a hint of the goofy pervert present. "Are you asking for my help Tsunade-hime?"

She smirked lightly, though it did not fully reach her honey brown eyes. "Want to help me finish what sensei started?"

* * *

Naruto was groggy when he awoke. He was lying on the grass in an open field, and it took a while for him to realize why he was there. He had passed out from chakra exhaustion sometime late last night. As he took in his surroundings he noticed that the sun was still low in the east, which meant it was still early. Sleeping in a room with a glass ceiling he was used to sleeping through morning sunlight. So what had woken him up?

The birds were singing softly in the distance, the sun was warm, and it looked like the start of a beautiful day. But still there was a sense of wrongness permeating the atmosphere. Naruto stretched out his senses, still groggy from sleep, to try and identify what was wrong. Despite the brightness and beauty of the morning he couldn't drive away a sense of foreboding.

It only took him a few seconds to realize what had disturbed him from his slumber. It was chakra; the air was heavy with it, so heavy that Naruto could almost taste it. A titanic battle was taking place somewhere in the vicinity.

Naruto leapt to his feet and strained his ears to catch the distant sound of fighting. It was far away. The fact that the residual chakra permeated the air so far away was a testament to the strength of the combatants. For a fleeting instant Naruto felt the instinct to run away, to avoid this battle at all costs. He squashed that impulse as quickly as it came, and ran toward the distant sound of fighting. Jiraiya would be there.

There was no doubt in his mind that he was not strong enough for this battle. The odds of him dying if he got involved were high. He lacked the strength and experience necessary to survive such a fight. But Naruto was a Konoha shinobi, and he would not leave his sensei to fight alone. If there was the smallest chance that Naruto could contribute to Jiraiya's victory, he would be there to take it.

Naruto arrived on the scene just in time to see Shizune fall at the hands of a silver haired boy. There was no mistaking the young ninja Naruto and his friends had met in the chuunin exams. Kabuto didn't bother to kill Shizune, just left her gasping for breath as she kneeled on the ground, and walked calmly toward Tsunade.

For some reason she was not moving. She just sat there, seemingly unaware that she was in any danger. Shizune was desperately trying to heal herself, and Jiraiya's attention was focused on some strange snake like man. Tsunade was completely alone, and still she did not move.

Kabuto lifted his hand, glowing with green chakra, to strike her when a kunai pierced through his palm. Naruto had acted without thinking; the kunai had left his hand before he even had time to consciously aim it.

Kabuto jumped back, pulling the projectile from his bleeding hand, and whipped around to face his new foe. Naruto's eyes immediately went to the musical note emblazoned on Kabuto's hitae-ate. He pulled out another kunai and slid into a fighting stance.

Kabuto smirked at the young genin before him, wiggling his fingers slightly as his hand healed. "You don't seem surprised to see me Naruto-kun."

Naruto slowly began edging toward the still frozen Tsunade. What was wrong with her? Was she under some type of genjutsu? "I knew there was something off about you Kabuto. No one gives away information for free, especially not to an opponent."

Kabuto tsked and shook his head condescendingly, as he countered Naruto's movements. "So untrusting Naruto-kun, aren't you a little young to be so cynical?"

"Never too young to know a snake when you see one." Naruto managed to place himself between Kabuto and the near catatonic Tsunade. She seemed to be muttering something about blood.

Kabuto did not seem at all concerned by Naruto's presence. In fact he chuckled slightly. "Do you really think that you can defeat me Naruto-kun? You must have realized by now that I am no ordinary genin. After all, you did so well realizing I was untrustworthy during the chuunin exams."

Kabuto was bating him, and Naruto had no intention of biting. "Who said anything about defeating you? I just have to stop you." He threw his kunai at Kabuto and charged forward. If he wanted to do anything he needed to be in close.

The bespectacled ninja smoothly dodged the projectile, and prepared to intercept. His hands took on an ominous green glow that Naruto had never encountered before. He aimed a sharp fast strike at Naruto's chest, forcing the younger boy to twist out of the way. Naruto rolled along Kabuto's extended arm and used a sharp back handed strike to hit Kabuto's unprotected neck.

The two continued their deadly dance, Naruto dodging green glowing hands as he gave out swift punishing blows whenever possible. The young genin moved around his opponent with the wild animalistic grace he would one day be known for. Unfortunately it was only a matter of time before Kabuto's superior skill and experience got the better of him.

Naruto was forced to block a green glowing palm headed for his chest, he failed to notice the other before it was too late. His footing made dodging impossible, and Kabuto's chakra infused palm made contact with Naruto's thigh.

The pain came immediately and Naruto leapt away. His landing was messy as his leg refused to support his weight. Kabuto chuckled lightly as he watched the confused genin. "You've never fought against a medic nin before have you Naruto." The eerie green glow returned to Kabuto's hands. "All it takes is a single touch in the right place to kill you. You were right to block the strike to your chest, but you will find that you only managed to delay the inevitable, for your leg is useless now."

Naruto grimaced as he tried to push himself up, but to no avail. His eyes flashed to the fight between Jiraiya and the strange snake like man. The battle was definitely going to end in Jiraiya's favor, but there would be little point if Tsunade died.

His eyes returned to Kabuto, who was calmly walking towards the frozen Tsunade. The arrogant sound ninja obviously saw him as no threat. Kabuto obviously knew very little about Uzumaki Naruto.

Channeling chakra into his one good leg, Naruto managed to propel himself forward, crashing into Kabuto's legs and bringing the older ninja tumbling to the ground. By putting all his weight on his good leg, he was able to stand between Tsunade and her attacker.

With his injury Naruto knew that he would not last long against Kabuto. But he also knew that if he could stall long enough Jiraiya would win his fight, and come to their aid. So Naruto stood on his one working leg, prepared to do everything possible to protect Tsunade.

Kabuto seemed annoyed as he pushed himself off the ground. "You are foolishly determined. You won't live very long if you continue to fight like this Uzumaki."

"Well that's my problem, isn't it Kabuto?"

The silver haired ninja smirked as he pulled out a kunai. "Why bother protecting her? True she was once a great medic ninja, the very best in fact. But look at her now, unable to move at the mere sight of blood. What use is any ninja who can't stand blood? She is worthless."

Naruto didn't budge from his spot in front of Tsunade. "All Konoha ninja have worth, no matter how broken they might be. Which is more than I can say for you traitorous scum!" Kabuto charged forward to stab the partially immobilized genin, but Naruto had other ideas. He barely even winced as the kunai stabbed through his left hand. "Rasengan!"

Kabuto's eyes widened as a fully formed rasengan crashed into his chest. He tried to throw one last blow at Naruto's heart. But the unsteady genin could no longer force himself to stand, and began to tumble backwards. Kabuto only managed a glancing blow on Naruto's right shoulder before being forced back by the Yondaime's famed attack.

It was when Naruto called out the name of his attack that Jiraiya made a fatal mistake. He allowed himself to look away from his fight with Orochimaru, and the snake struck with deadly accuracy, his blade plunging into Jiraiya's abdomen. Jiraiya hissed in pain, and was about to resume the attack when music floated on the air into his ears.

Two large beings charged toward his downed student, and Naruto could not defend himself, his arm and leg rendered useless by Kabuto's jutsu. Jiraiya ran to protect his apprentice, but he was too far away. There was no way he would be able to get there in time.

Naruto watched as the two humanoids barreled towards him. He knew there was nothing he could do. Even if he could still move the blood loss from his hand wound was making him dizzy, throwing off his perception. Still he refused to go down without a fight, and he pulled a kunai from his pouch. It slipped in his bleeding left hand, but he held it firm.

He never had to use that kunai, for at the last second Tsunade leapt in front of him taking the attack meant for him. Using her infamous brute strength, Tsunade shoved the two creatures away. "If you want the kid, you'll have to go through me first." That was the last thing he saw and heard before he blacked out.

The music stopped abruptly, and the two figures before her disappeared. Tsunade didn't have time to wonder what had happened, for Jiraiya arrived next to her, his stomach bleeding profusely.

"What were those? A genjutsu?"

Tsunade shook her head. "No, they were definitely solid. Probably a summons of some sort." She scanned the field for any sign of enemy forces. There was none. "They were a distraction to cover Orochimaru's escape, and you let yourself be fooled by it. I thought you were never going to let him slip through your fingers again." She crouched down and started a scanning jutsu on Naruto.

Jiraiya watched her tending his injured student lying prone in the grass. "Some things are more important than settling old scores."

Tsunade smiled at her old friend. "That's just the thing a Hokage wants to hear from her ninja."

Shizune, who had finally managed to repair the damage done to her lungs, looked at her mentor in shock. "You mean you're taking the job?"

Tsunade nodded. "I think it's high time we went home. Besides, with this kid around I doubt I'll be Hokage very long."

"So he's going to be okay?" Jiraiya's eyes were pleading, and she felt a bit of pity for him.

"He's going to be just fine Jiraiya. I'm far more concerned about you."

"I'll be fine, just look after the kid."

Tsunade pushed herself off the ground, and approached her old teammate. Her honey brown eyes were sharp. "Don't be foolish Jiraiya. Shizune can take care of him, but you and I both know how dangerous the kusanagi is. Now lie down and let me have a look."

Jiraiya knew better than to argue with her when she looked at him like that. He didn't even make a perverted comment when she opened his shirt to get to the wound. She got to work quickly, her hands steady. "What happened to your fear of blood?"

She allowed her eyes to drift to his for a brief moment, a smirk playing on her lips. "Some things are more important than old fears."

* * *

Orochimaru was furious. He had been positive that offering Tsunade the revival of her dead loved ones would ensure him her healing abilities. He had been positive that her grief would make it impossible for her to refuse. Good thing he had accounted for the impossible.

Orochimaru's paranoia had saved him many times before. It was his paranoia that made him bring Tayuya along to cover their escape if necessary. Her demon summons could be controlled from a distance and were always good diversions. It was due to his paranoia that he managed to give, that hopeless excuse for a Sannin, Jiraiya the slip.

Despite his clean escape he was very angry. His dead arms still burned with a pain that was almost unbearable. He would have no choice but to change bodies now. He would need Uchiha Sasuke sooner than expected.

As if that wasn't enough, there was the problem of Jiraiya's new apprentice. Uzumaki Naruto had been a mere annoyance during the chuunin exams, but now. Anyone who could learn the rasengan, a technique that Orochimaru himself could not completely figure out, in such a short time would become a force to be reckoned with. Also the boy was pivotal to Akatsuki's plans, and Orochimaru couldn't let them stand in the way of his ambition. Yes, the problem of Uzumaki Naruto would have to be fixed as soon as he got his new Uchiha body.

The cunning old snake allowed himself the luxury of an evil chuckle as he began formulating a plan to lure Uchiha Sasuke away from the safety of Konoha.


End file.
